Snooky - Memorial Video (Part 1)

My mom, "Snooky", was lost to aneurysm starting on April 18th, 2011. Helicopter medivac that morning. Stroke center was dismal on her prognosis due to extensive swelling of the brain, severe bleeding, and choke off of blood and oxygen to the brain creating extensive brain damage. Doctors did not expect her to live through the night, but she did. They declared her brain dead twice, yet she was still faintly responsive through Holy Thursday. Doctors dismissed her twitching as normal nervous response among death, but it started only when I arrived and wept at her bedside. It continued intermittent among normal twitching at times in response to stimulation. At one point, she shed tears only when my aunt sang to her and opened her eyes, yet had no tearing for any doctors and nurses regularly checking her pupils. Therefore, I bought her some extra time to evade termination of life support via organ donation which she had wanted anyhow. But, from Wed to Thursday, her life continued to fade out slowly. Kept praying it would fade out prior to organ transplant and she did. By the time entering OR in the wee hours of Good Friday, all that remained was a beating heart. Respiration was by machine, unable to breathe on her own. Her body was pumped with more and more drugs just to maintain normal blood pressure. At some level in some way, there was still a degree of higher level brain function, but the lower levels and root brain functions were too far damaged. Prolonged life support would have had her living on artificial life support for perhaps a couple more weeks at best. Two kidneys and two corneas were requested for donation, but, in the end, only two corneas were transplanted -- restoring sight to two other ladies, one in New York and the other in Florida.

"Snooky" -- the first woman U.S. Navy officer from island Guam was laid to rest on Saturday, April 30th, 2011. Her little brother, "Pinky", had earlier died of aneurysm on an Easter Sunday at age 12. Mom faded out during Holy Week and passed on Good Friday. She was blessed with a short time in suffering (less than 5 minutes) among family. The best I could do in waiting for an ambulance was administer some Cayenne pepper to break up any possible clotting from stroke, and provided the homeopathic remedy, Gelsemium. Upon which, she felt greatly better. No pain. Headache was gone. Just a little drowsiness. We had some time to exchange affections. However, while I was opening the ranch gate, putting away the dog, and clearing a path for paramedic stretcher, Mom got out of bed, dressed herself, and insisted on using the bathroom prior to medic arrival. At that point, the slight aneurysm fully ruptured and she faded rapidly into shock. During this time, I at least had the opportunity to catch her while falling; To talk to her. We thank God none of it happened among strangers or out while driving on the road. A very, very painful loss for us all but good, rich, and happy life blessed with a relatively easy and quick death with at least two others helped greatly in her passing.

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• organ
• transplant
• aneurysm
• stroke
• Guam