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| Dominique, Justice and Liam circa 1997. Dominique loving being a new Mom! |
I want to start out by deeply thanking all you. Family, friends, strangers. Many have donated time, money, prayers and love. It has not gone unnoticed. I do not have a way at present to view the names of those who have donated money, as none of us have access to Dominique's PayPal password. Please be assured that your contributions are greatly appreciated. Money has come in just when we were all wondering how we were going to pay the next bill. We've got some real life Angels in our lives. Thank you!
On January 3rd, Dominique was admitted to a full time, 24 hour care hospice facility. She can no longer write. I am honored to be her voice and answer any questions any of you may have.
Her current condition is this: The cancer has spread to her brain which results in her being very confused and saying lots of strange things. Some of them have been quite entertaining as one of her dominant personality traits is humor. She has lost most of her motor skills and has to be fed. The hospice staff seems to have her pain under control. Better living through chemistry, mainly morphine. She is very happy when she sees us. She recognizes everyone but sometimes doesn't remember our names. Today she thought I was her sister, not her step mother. I'll accept that compliment! She gets tired quite quickly and is starting to refuse food.
Family and close friends have been visiting constantly. She has been the Super Star Celebrity of all the nursing home patients. She is also by far the youngest.
The immediate family has been hanging out at Dominique, Justice and Liam's peaceful Joshua Tree retreat home. Her father, John, started a new tradition. Every night we all go up to the homes observation deck and watch the sunset, then stargaze. Joshua Tree is famous for its superb star gazing. Last night I was lucky enough to see a shooting star! I made a wish.
Liam is teaching Kerry to play the drums, Uncle Howard is the BBQ master extraordinaire, Jessica has been entertaining us with her Chihuahua, the one and only Victor Jose Snaggles, and Angela makes us all laugh with her wry sense of humor. Wendy's love and warmth always make you feel the sincerity of her many warm embraces. Justice is eager to dye purple streaks in my hair. I'm considering it.
We've been spending time poring over old family photos, laughing and crying. Some of the comments:
Liam: "Boy I sure was a cute baby"
Me: "Why do I look all hunched over in that photo? It must've been before I started doing yoga"
Angela: "I sure do look uncomfortable (at age 5) holding Justice when she was a baby"
Dominique has created a magnificent life. I could not be more proud of her. She's a published author, she's traveled all over the world, she's been a film maker and screenwriter. She taught me to ride a horse when she was thirteen. But the one thing that she's been most proud of is being a Mom. Justice and Liam are the most amazingly talented, caring, loving, polite individuals. Dominique, you did great!
Justice is planning on starting an on call makeup business. Do you need a professional makeover for the prom? Justice is your ticket! She is also planning on going to school to learn special effects makeup.
Liam continues to wow all of us with his musical abilities. He plays the guitar, drums, the harmonica, you name it. This kid will be going places. You want to get his autograph now. One day it will be worth a lot on E-Bay.
If you would like to help Justice and Liam who will soon be starting a new life, our family will be tremendously appreciative. Just click on the "DONATE" button to the upper right. If you would like to let me know who you are, I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to thank you. Otherwise, Random Acts Of Kindness are the highest use of money. One thing I know for sure about money - you can't take it with you.
I love you all so much. I am honored to be part of this magnificent family and touched by the generosity of all of you who care so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
