Please pray for my brother, Dale

[MarieT]

continuing prayers for Dale
Lord thank you that Dale is able to eat and be alert, please continue to heal him.

[Denise]

Found out today that if he starts chemo and it doesn't help in any way they will put him on hospice. It is hard to imagine my life without my brother. My whole immediate family will be gone. Of course, I could go before him even though I am fine.

[MarieT]

[Denise]

I spoke with Dale briefly this morning and he told me that this morning he woke up and for the first time he felt stability in his core. He didn't have any pain to speak of. That was hopeful news. Dakota told me that Dale did quite a few things today but wore out and had to go to bed. He finds out tomorrow what the real deal will be and I pray it is news that gives him more time on this earth.

[MarieT]

Lord mercifully hear our prayers

some positive signs already thanks be to God

[Denise]

Hum, Dale went to the oncologist on the 8th and was supposed to get results of the scans and that doctor didn't even have the report but they started Dale on chemo that day. He was there in the chair for several hours and will have another round in three weeks. What energy he'd built up was pretty zapped. Stephen's chemo and the chemo treatments mom had and what Dale is experiencing are all different. None of the treatments have been the same. I guess it is different for each type of cancer.

[MarieT]

Lord mercifully sustain him through this
in my prayers

[Denise]

Dale isn't doing well at all. Hospice is being discussed; I don't know. I need to go and be with him but I can't until after Thursday morning due to a dentist appointment. I prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet for him this morning and asked God to allow me to be with him when he passes. It just seems unreal and I have been fighting panic attacks. I would like to ask for prayers for myself if that would be ok.

Thanks

[MarieT]

of course its ok
what you've had to endure as i read the forum notes about beth, dale and henry would be crushing for anyone.

to see someone's loved ones go through so much pain, is our pain also

I will offer a mass for you at the cathedral, that God continue to strengthen you through this.
You are doing wonderfully being a pillar of support for them all.

bless you and through the mercy of God may they all be blessed and healed

[Denise]

Thank you Marie. I prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the dying for him this morning and if anyone else feels moved to do so I would certainly appreciate it and so would he.

[Denise]

I was on the phone with Dakota at 6:31 PM, which would be on the 13th. I am posting this at about 2 AM the 14th. We were discussing his blood sugar and all of a sudden Dale started making strange noises. He was in a bad way today. I told Dakota he needed to go to the hospital to please call an ambulance. He did call one and let us know when they were leaving with Dale so we could leave at the same time and meet at the hospital. Dakota and Savannah were on their way too. We got to the emergency room first and it was strange for the lady to be asking a lot of questions and asking us to sit and wait. Finally called us and asked us to go into a conference room. That was very strange. We walked into the room and Dakota and Savannah came in right behind us. They told us the doctor needed to talk to us.

To make a long story short they had worked on Dale almost an hour and they would lose him and bring him back. I looked at the doctor and asked if he was dead and he said they were still working on him but it didn't look promising. I asked to see him and talk to him so the doctor took Dakota and I back and we walked into the room and they were doing strong chest compressions and they had a tube down his throat breathing for him. Finally the doc looked at us and said nothing was working and if we wanted him to stop and we said yes. So they stopped everything and all of a sudden he said they got a pulse again. He told us to go to Dale quickly. We went to his side and I started talking to him and told him I loved him and poor Dakota could only cry. I guess he was alive for a couple minutes and I know he heard us, then the doctor said he had gone.

I cried so much today begging God to let me be with him when he passed and God allowed it to happen. I had also prayed the Flying Novena to Our lady asking the same thing and it happened. It is miraculous.

Thank you for all your prayers and please pray for the repose of Dale's soul.

[MarieT]

Thank you Marie. I prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the dying for him this morning and if anyone else feels moved to do so I would certainly appreciate it and so would he.

prayed - stay strong

[MarieT]

Thank you for all your prayers and please pray for the repose of Dale's soul.

Lord have mercy
requiescat in pace
fought the long battle, now safe in our Lord's embrace

condolences to you and all your family
may he rest in eternal peace

[Denise]

God allowed me to be with Dale when he passed but it was totally different than what I imagined in my head. It was very tough to watch them trying to revive him; it was so pitiful.

Wednesday evening we all met at the funeral home to sign the cremation papers and we asked to see Dale and they prepared him for us to see. I am so glad we requested to see him because he looked nothing like he did when he was in distress at the hospital. They’d closed his mouth and he just looked like he was sleeping. Now my last image of him is so much better than the image I saw Monday night. I was really having a tough time with that image in my head. Thank You Jesus! And Our Lady!

[Denise]

Arrangements have been made. There will be three memorial services; one here in TX, on the 28th, one that is being arranged in Louisiana asap and then a huge celebration of his life on his birthday in April. We will have a crawfish boil with lots of Cajun foods like we had for Larry. This will take place on his property where his Pampered Paws Dog Hotel and Spa are in Dodd City, TX.

Sharing a poem I wrote about him in 1988 that will be read at the services. I certainly will not be able to read it myself so someone else will read it for me. I couldn't even read it to Dakota without bawling.

Someone Special

By: Denise (Sissy)

Soon as he makes his presence known, a smile will cross my lips;

Here he comes again, unannounced, from one of his faraway trips.

A visit from him will be short but sweet, on that you can rely

But the quality of time I spend with him, money can never buy.

Keeping me laughing from minute one until he drives away

I miss him before he ever leaves, wishing for a longer stay.

We talk about the good old days or of our present pains

“There is no need for worry Sis, it won’t change things” he explains.

“Who is this magical person?” I’m asked. Why, there can be no other,

He’s very special to all of us, the first born of my mother.

Written for my brother, Dale
September 30, 1988