My friend, Shannon is very sick

 I know Shannon through La Leche League.  First as a mom attending meetings.  Then as a LLL Leader and now, in addition to that she is a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC).

Shannon's family really needs support at this time.   Please click on the links here .

I've never posted anything like this on my blog before, but I had to do this for Shannon.

https://gofund.me/5fc4e687

https://www.gofundme.com/f/uplift-the-heindel-family-during-crisis

Uplift the Heindel Family During Crisis

Shannon Heindel has been a local do-good champion and community breastfeeding advocate for years!  She has helped many thousands of families over 20 years, and she continued to work with new families during the pandemic up until she started feeling really sick.

She is now facing her own struggle, a fight for her life, where she needs additional help for her own little family. She has been an active member of La Leche League International, BFUSA, Bay Area Breastfeeding Support and also has been active in the community with her own private practice. Virtually all her adult life has spent helping small babies and their families.

Shannon is currently in-pt in a hospital away from her two small children, and about 5 hours away from her family and support systems. She was diagnosed with lymphoma and is currently undergoing her first round of many chemo treatments. She's starting to feel pretty sick but is remaining optimistic. It's a hard time for her husband Jan who has no support systems available that are nearby. He has been holding down everything himself, including working full time so that Shannon has health care coverage, but childcare and rising medical bills and co-pays is making this journey fraught with difficulty; it's a stressful time for her children who have never been away from her.

We are hopeful to gather enough donations to make it easier for their family to pay bills, get in home child care, run errands, go grocery shopping, and hire some help around the house with the girls while their mother is many hours away and their daddy needs to work. These funds also might possibly allow her partner to stay overnight closer to the hospital, and to offer them assistance with childcare during the day. If Shannon has ever helped you, or one of your family members, or you're feeling like you want to help a honest to goodness wonderful human being get through a really awful time, here is your opportunity!

Sometimes life is so unfair

 For a few months now I have been watching two friends I know through La Leche League as they are dying.   Both from cancer, but different types.    It's sad.  It's unfair.   It's awful It's life.

I know we all have to die.   But the reality of it is not very pretty.  Sometimes it is expected- like when my 99 year old mother in law died four years ago.  Sometimes it is a total shock, violent to the senses and heartbreaking- like when my brother died in an accident 20 years ago.

Then today, just this evening, I learned that another friend is terribly ill.   She has T-cell lymphoma.   She is in the hospital with a picc line and is being treated for complications of lactic acidosis.  She is anticipating Chemo and radiation.

She is the same age as my own daughter, which somehow makes it harder for me to understand and face.   She has two sons from her first marriage who are adults now.  I met her when they were babies. And she has two beautiful little girls who are 6 and 4 (maybe).  She's been married this time for 10 years.  I was at her wedding.

The pandemic is not over.  Restrictions are being lifted, but I think it is too soon.   People are still refusing the get the vaccine.  My friends and family are all vaccinated though.   Two friends that I know of have lost their mothers to COVID.   Another friend's mother died of unknown causes- she was found dead on the floor in her house.

All I can do is be a good person.  Be kind and caring and loving, and hope that it matters.

Full Moon in the clouds

Little purple flower in my garden

Maine is beautiful!

 It's late and I am tired.  Just wanted to say that I had a really nice, four day visit with Austin. He lives in Warren, Maine in a really old house.