Sad News

[DancingEyes63]

I'm afraid I have have some sad news to share. Last Thursday Jimmy passed away. He had kept on living until the end and didn't let Cancer beat him. The Sunday before he and I spent the day with friends cutting down and loading 20 foot cedar posts that will be used to support the new metal roof that will cover our RV, porch and patio. It was a beautiful Texas day and he had a great time. Saturday we'd worked in the yard and garden and cooked steaks on the grill. We watched the Dallas Cowboys game when we got home Sunday so it was a nice ending to the day. He was tired Monday but seemed all right so nurse told him to rest. He agreed to stay in bed because it was raining so he couldn't go outside anyway. Tuesday morning I knew something was wrong and so did he. He was having trouble talking and his coordination was terrible, like his brain and body weren't speaking. His hands seemed swollen also. I had just finished reading Better Off Bald over the weekend so I suspected it was lack of oxygen and that he was in liver failure. While waiting for the nurse, Jimmy was praying and then told me that he didn't think he was going to make it to our New Years Eve Date. When the nurse arrived, saw his condition and took his vitals, she confirmed my fears. His oxygen had dropped into the 70s. She told us it would be quick so I needed to notify family and she promised him that she wouldn't let him be in pain. We spent the rest of Tuesday by ourselves talking. He began to get agitated later that afternoon and I had trouble keeping him in bed. He had fallen twice and I was so afraid he'd break something and end up at hospital. The next morning he was having trouble talking and his oxygen had dropped to 50. We decided to put supplemental oxygen on him so he'd be able to tell family and close friends goodbye. I let everyone know to come because we were out of time. Wednesday was spent with people in and out all day. Seemed like some just hung around waiting. I had to ask a few times for "friends" to please wait outside so family members (and ones we consider family) could have private time. The last person left at around 9 pm. Jimmy indicated he wanted the oxygen off and he wasn't struggling so I did. We held hands all night and a couple of times his breathing was so slow that I thought he was gone. Thursday morning neither the nurse nor myself could even get his oxygen level to register on any finger. The only person who hadn't made it yet was his son, even though I'd let him know Tuesday. About noon he called to say he was on the way. He lives an hour from us. I put the oxygen back on and told Jimmy to hold on. He did. ❤️ His son got to visit and when he left, I laid down next to the love of my life and he passed peacefully about 10 minutes later.

We were so Blessed to have this last year and he accomplished so very much. I'll share some more of that in another post.

Sharon Dixon ❤️

[WayCas Patient]

Sharon,So sorry about your lose of Jimmy. He was a winner and fought until the end.

Your story is a wonderful tribute to him. A true blessing to anyone who reads it.

My prayers are with you and your family.

Wayne

[DancingEyes63 Moderator Caregiver in reply to WayCas]

Thank you Wayne. Yes he fought so hard and never gave up or let Cancer stop him from doing whatever he wanted to do this last year especially. Even at the end the only thing he asked of the nurses was to not let him hurt (of course he was used to living with pain every day) and not to let him linger because it would be too hard on me. He gave me a message to post for Blue Faery's anniversary, a message for Andrea thanking her for everything and asking her not to change anything planned just because he was gone. He told me to keep sharing his story and fighting to make things better. I gave him my word and I'm keeping it. I had a Zoom call this past Monday. During Jimmy's diagnosis and treatment, there were mistakes made that shouldn't have been made. People dropped the ball at times. Inappropriate things were done and said that should not have been. I'm not a scientist so I can't find a cure for HCC but I'm sure going to keep trying to bring some things to light in the hopes of changing them. Hopefully someone else won't have to deal with some of the things we did. Speaking out and getting involved is the only way doctors, medical staff, insurance companies and drug companies can find out that things do need to change. So y'all are stuck with me. ❤️ Blue Faery is one of the few support groups that get involved and actively try to raise awareness and make things better for all of us who have been impacted my HCC.

Sharon ❤️

[Curly_Girl Caregiver]

Sharon, I didn't realize how suddenly everything changed for Jimmy. I am in awe of how you both handled everything, the way that you were there for Jimmy and the fact that he got to have time with all of those that were important to him. What a beautiful thing.

I am so incredibly sorry for your loss, my sweet friend. I am holding you in my heart and prayers.

Love,

Wendy

[DancingEyes63 Moderator Caregiver in reply to Curly_Girl]

Hi Wendy. He had said he was getting a little more tired but he was still doing whatever he wanted but just resting a little more. That picture was from Sunday. He was out helping get those cedar posts. They had to pull them out of the pile (a friend is having land cleared so they were bulldozed down), cut the limbs off, cut them down to about 20 feet and drag them to the trailer. Sometimes there were other trees on top of the one they wanted so had to move them first. After Jimmy got sick on Tuesday, Chris came and dug holes larger (Jimmy had started them but didn't know exactly what size would be needed. ) and put the first three posts in place so Jimmy could see them from the living room window while he was in bed. Chris came this afternoon and put in the 5th and 6 posts and set with concrete. I think there's at least 2 more needed. He said he didn't want Jimmy to look down and see nothing getting done. ❤️ I don't think it's really sunk in yet. When I do realize it's real, I fall apart. 💔💔💔Sharon

[bwpickard Caregiver]

Sharon I’m so so sorry for your loss. Thankyou for sharing throughout Jimmy’s illness. What a blessing and encouragement you both have been about living fully with HCC. You honor him so well and his was a life well lived and loved. Sending love, hugs, and prayers to you. ❤️🙏🏻 Bonnie

[DancingEyes63 Moderator Caregiver in reply to bwpickard]

Thank you Bonnie. I know you and Wendy both understand exactly how I feel right now. Still doesn't seem real. I was out in the yard this morning in the garden and I told Ollie (Olivia but Jimmy changed it to Ollie lol) our chiweinnie that we needed to go check on Daddy. So used to if you was inside resting I'd pop my head in to make sure he didn't need anything. We had walkie talkies but he was more likely to just holler my name to find out where I was. The problem is that even before he was I'll, we'd worked together for several years. Restoring antique furniture and building custom pieces. So I'm used to being with him 24/7 basically. I'm finding myself really distracted. I have ADD so always have to be careful of the "butterfly" distracting me. Now it seems anything. I took the litter box out side to empty and ended up picking peppers, starting some garden debris burning, raking the yard, LoL. Then I saw the litter box. Poor kitties 😂. I was up at 2am canning salsa. I think maybe my mind is racing trying not to have to think/deal with Jimmy not here. Thank you so much for the love and prayers. ❤️❤️❤️Sharon ❤️

[bwpickard Caregiver in reply to DancingEyes63]

Easily distracted is such a part of the loss and will get better with time. I lost my phone and found it in the refrigerator....fortunately not the freezer!!! So glad you have such a wealth of loving family/friends around you! That's a great comfort. It's a one day at a time journey. Here for you!! Bonnie

[DancingEyes63 Moderator Caregiver in reply to bwpickard]

I've got tomatoes everywhere so I'm trying to go through and pick out the ripe ones. Our tomatoes started making again like crazy after the 100+ weather stopped. I was so happy and excited. Then a couple weeks ago, we had ONE night that it was forecasted to get around 30-32 degrees. Oh no! My tomatoes, my peppers, my okra, my purple hull peas! I kept hoping they'd change the forecast but no such luck. Two days before Jimmy asked what was I going to do because the plants were loaded and a freeze or even frost would kill the plants and ruin the produce. So I went out and picked every pepper that was big enough to eat. Just left the little ones that were too small anyway. I had discovered that if I put green tomatoes in a brown paper bag that they will ripen as long as they're large enough. So that afternoon I worked on the tomatoes. Pulling the green ones that I knew had a chance. There were LOTS. Then the next morning, we covered the purple hulls with row covers, covered my red cherry tomatoes that are in a old water trough, and put the three big tubs of my chocolate cherry tomatoes up against each other and tarped then. Picked the okra and figured I'd canned so much and we'd ate so much and shared so much that I couldn't complain. Then Jimmy had an idea. If it did get cold enough to kill the tomatoes I wouldn't have any to keep in green house over winter for fresh tomatoes. Usually I get cuttings and root the plants I want to overwinter before it gets cold. So I went and take a couple of cuttings from each plant. We filled some old plastic power ade bottles with water, wrote the name of tomato on them and put them in green house. Well it did get cold enough to frost but not freeze so although I lost a few of plants, most survived with just dead branches that I had to prune. The weather has been nice so everything has been blooming and making fruit again. So I have about 30 brown paper lunch bags with green tomatoes that I have to go through and pull out ones as they ripen. It's keeping us in tomatoes though lol. Last week enough ripened to can some homemade Rotel and this week I did Salsa. I just went through the bags and I have a big bowl of ripe ones and twice that many of ones that are ripening. And I haven't checked the cherry tomato bags yet. LoL. So now I have to put all the bags back on the shelf and try to do something the million peppers I have. LoL 😂. And finish shelling the dried Lima bean pods that we picked when pulled up those beans before freeze. I figured we'd made enough. I need to get turnips planted. Jimmy was so pushing me to can everything I could because he wanted to make sure if things got bad, either politically or weather, that I'd have something I could eat. Well I've talked enough so I better go get these tomatoes put up. Especially since I was just trying run the a/c with TV remote 😂 ❤️❤️❤️

Sharon

[nashy2 Caregiver]

Dear Sharon 

Robin and I are so very sorry to hear about Jimmy.  You both seemed/seem such a positive couple, dealing with what sounded like an awful few years in terms of the cancer and pain. It is usually hardest after the loved one has died in some ways.  Hopefully you’ll have family and friends as strong supports at this time. Anyway we are glad you are still going to be around on Blue Faery, and we are thinking of you at this time.  Take care of yourself, you do deserve it. SusieBx

[DancingEyes63 Moderator Caregiver in reply to nashy2]

Thank you so much Susie and please tell Robin thank you. Yes, I have some good friends that have been taking care of me plus Jimmy's sister and her husband and two nieces are all right here so they check on me. Today one of the Hospice nurses (who we adopted ❤️) is here hanging out. Sharon ❤️

[AthenaJason Patient]

Dear Sharon

I am so sorry to hear your sad news. We met on the same project with Susie and Robin and you and Jimmy both sounded so positive and energetic. An inspiration to those of us who have HC.

I know Jimmy's memory will be a blessing to you and your friends and family.

Thank you for his strength and for yours.

Love and condolences

Fizzy

[DancingEyes63 Moderator Caregiver in reply to AthenaJason]

Thank you so much. Yes I remember meeting you. Jimmy kept that positive attitude up til the end. He lived each day fully and was still out enjoying himself until his liver failed. He was emphatic about me to keep sharing his story and fighting to make it better for those that follow. Be sure to check out the Love Your Liver website in December. ❤️Sharon ❤️

[Joschua Patient]

I'm so sorry for your lose. Thanks for sharing. I remember Jimmy as a great inspiration!

[DancingEyes63 Moderator Caregiver in reply to Joschua]

Thank you Joschua. Jimmy was so glad that he could help you that first time. He always asked about you, how you were doing and if I'd heard any updates.