| Renette Baldasaro |
|---|
53989 Pine Grove Road |
June 24, 2001 To All back east,
Last you heard, Renette had been planning to revisit Seattle, Washington for more testing over this past Memorial Day weekend. Even through the continually evolving plans to arrange Seattle transport, Renette continued to weaken; her Doctors and nurses suspected that she may have gotten the flu weeks earlier and was not able to shake it. After a very difficult night of breathing on may 18th, Renette agreed to be admitted to Saint Charles hospital in Bend for testing and observation. Doctors advised as much rest as possible for her in the hopes that her strength would rally. Renette was very comfortable at Saint Charles, interacting with the staff, having books read to her, eating great food; it was a worry free time for Renette; loving friends continued to stream in to her room during her rested times, and cards and phone calls to the hospital most assuredly worked to keep her spirits high. Renette seemed to be improving and was planning on going back to her house when on Thursday, May 24th she took a turn for the worst. At noon on that day, she began to need somewhere along the lines of 18 litters of Oxygen coming through the canula & mask just to maintain blood saturation levels. In the afternoon, she was moved to a room with a spectacular view of the mountains she loved so. Though she was not anxious, the nurses gave her some Ativan & Dilotid for comfort through the irregular respiration. The hospital Chaplain, an older lady named Kay with a warm and wise way about her stayed with Renette during the final hours. Kay held Renette’s hand and they watched the sun setting over the snow-capped mountains for a couple of hours. Renette drifted off peacefully at this time, holding Kays’ hand with no fear or worries to concern her. Renette was cremated according to her wishes. Also planned was a large gathering which occurred at her house on Sunday, June 17th…..a large ‘Irish Wake’ as she called it; a party attended by the many she knew over the years in the Pacific Northwest. Her ashes were latter spread that week in the Cascade mountain range that she loved so well. An interesting point to note is that Renette’s passing was within 36 hours of being officially denied acceptance as a transplant candidate. At peace with the news, she was able to let go. In retrospect, this was a woman who literlly WILLED herself to live longer than any of us probably could have under those circumstances. For my part, I feel blessed to have had Renette as a sister in this life; her courage and candor were an inspiration the countless people whose lives she touched. |
I regret to inform you that Renette passed away on May 24th
after her long struggle with Polyomyocytis. Any delay in passing this information your way
was by Renette’s design so her last wishes could unfold without interference.