Speech from the Funeral

My name is Kate McEwan, these are my sisters Kelsie and Chrissy and my brother trevor and Micheline was our mother. On behalf of my family i would like to thank everyone for their love and support throughout my mom’s illness, further more i would like to thank everyone for being here with us now. We know that each of you was important to our mother, and therefore you are important to us. We ask that you keep sharing your memories of mom with us ...and continue to keep in touch especially throughout the milestones in our lives.
Mom always made sure to make time for her friends...sometimes she would tell us she was running to the grocery store for just one thing, only to come back 4 hours later with a bag of groceries and tons of stories about all the friends she ran into when she was out...she couldn’t resist a good catch up session
When we were young, my parents made the decision to have mom stay at home with us kids...she was our supermom, always there to get us off to school in the morning and was there waiting when we got off the bus in the afternoon. She didn’t need much, having her family and friends around her, and the time we spent together were her greatest joys.
Mom was fiercely protective of us kids, she wouldn’t sleep until we walked through the door at night...she didn’t care about if we made it home for curfew, she wanted to make sure we were home safe...and God help any boy that tried to date one of her girls...mom and her friends made sure they got the 3rd degree...and if they could handle that, then maybe they were good enough.
The love my parents shared was inspiring, i have never seen two people look at each other the way they did...mom was dads best friend, soul mate and the love of his life...they would do anything for each other and The love, respect and values they shared were instilled in us kids...no matter what they were always happy
Our time with mom was far too brief...but the lessons she taught us are going to last a life time...
God needed her with Him in heaven, we like to think he needed help planning a really big pool party....and she is laying on a floatie with a margarita in hand soaking up the sun....probably wearing a matching bathing suit to aunt dina...her favourite shopping buddy
My mom had a passion for life unlike anyone i have ever known – she was the life of the party, the one making everyone laugh, She had an energy about her – people were drawn to her, she touched so many lives that it is overwhelming thinking about it
She lived everyday to the fullest and we think that we all need to take a page from her book and do the same thing....to celebrate her life
Sometimes she would get in trouble for her big mouth – but whatever she said, you know everyone else was secretly thinking it... She held everyone accountable, and told it like it was...if you did something embarrassing you know mom would be the first one to bring it up the next day...probably laughing her butt off
Mom’s faith, her belief in God was very strong, she prayed every night before bed...and made sure that she instilled strong Christian values in us kids...some Sunday mornings we were reluctant to get up for church and she would tell us that “there’s no such thing as st mattress” or “there’s a man hanging on the cross and he wants to see you”
Because of strong belief in God, we know that we will see her again in heaven, so for us...its not goodbye, it’s see ya later...
We will miss our mom everyday of our lives, we;ll always be looking over our shoulders...expecting her to be there...we take comfort knowing she is with God and no longer in pain
There is one more angel in heaven...one more star in the sky....an when you are missing her, look up and know she is there



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this is the prayer chrissy's friend wrote...

God of hope,
Hear our prayers for your newest angel, Micheline McEwan, whom you have called from life on Earth to join you in heaven. Please grant this beautiful mother, sister, wife, daughter, and friend everlasting happiness and peace. Let her pass safely through the gates of heaven. Pardon her of her sins and give her eternal life with you. May her soul rest in peace forever.
God of love,
As mourners, we come to you in our time of shock, grief, and confusion. Please give us light and guide us out of our darkness. Hear our prayers, help all those who mourn, and aid in bringing peace and acceptance to the family and everyone affected by this tragedy. Help us to understand that death is not the end, merely a change, and that it does not destroy the bonds of faith, honour, and love.
God of trust,
Use your gentleness to care for Micheline. Allow her to be joyous with you in heaven. Grant Chrissy and her family the wish that they will one day be with Micheline again in your heavenly paradise. Help those who reign on Earth to understand that everything you do has a purpose, and that you have a reason to have Micheline with you in heaven.
Your power brings us to life, your influence guides throughout our lives, and by your command, we return to dust. May Micheline rejoice with you in your Kingdom, where all of our tears are wiped away. Unite us together as one family, to sing your praise forever and ever.
Amen.

Arrangements...

There will be an opportunity for visitation on Sunday November 22nd from 2-4 pm and again from 7-9 pm at Smiths Funeral Home 1576 London Line, Sarnia, ON, N7T 7H2, (519) 542-5541

The funeral service will be on Monday November 23rd at 11:30 am at Sacred Heart Church 1465 Lecaron Avenue Sarnia, ON, N7V 3J4, (519) 344-2992.

Obituaries will be posted in the Sarnia Observer on Friday and Saturday November 20th and 21st.

xoxo

Another Angel in Heaven

thanks for all the love and support
mom passed away this afternoon...she fought hard, but in the end her body couldnt deal with the after effects of the h1n1

we will post funeral and visitation dates and times

we love you mom and we know you are looking down on us

Day 24

the doctors came to talk to us this morning...last night her lung collapsed and they had to insert a new tube in her chest...they were able to reinflate her lung but they are having suffecient bleeding now
she also has bleeding in her brain and is currently unresponsive

Day 23

mom is steady on the ECMO - they gave her steroids last night to try and help her lungs heal...mom is the first h1n1 patient on this machine in ontario...basically the 2nd one in canada... there are lots of people keeping a close eye on her.

she is now clear of all infections...including the h1n1 virus...now we are dealing with the after effects of what it has done to her lungs.

her lungs have to make improvement in the next couple days on this machine in order for her to survive.
please continue sending your prayers...
xox

Day 22

the surgery for ECMO was completed and mom has been on it for the night...so far it is working but they do not want to keep her on it for too long because it is a very risky procedure and the longer she is on it the higher thr risk of complications....they are hoping that her lungs are getting a little bit of rest so that she can eventually be put back on the ventalator

prayers prayers prayers

day 21 pt 2

mom is just heading into surgery...they are going to proceed with the ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) this is very risky..however the doctors say its the only option right now for her to live.
keep praying...

Day 21

we are taking it one hour at a time
c02 levels are still very high

please keep praying

Day 20

hey everyone
today wasnt a good day...
this morning they did a cat scan and they found some blood clots in her lungs...as a result her c02 levels were high - they are going to try and give her some blood thinners and hope that the clots dissolve...
that is whats going on now..depending on how she reacts to that will depend on their next steps...it could take several hours fro them to see results
she is very sick right now..keep praying and we will hope that she can make it through this

we will update you if there are any major changes
xo

Day 19

hey everyone...day 19 in the coma...shes still about the same
they had to put her oxygen up to 100% because they did the procedure where they put the camera in her lungs...they said there wasn't too much yuckie stuff in there but her lungs were very very very swollen..they plan on trying to put her oxygen back down to 75% later today (that is where is was yesterday)
they also did an ultrasound to see if she had any blood clots in her legs..that came up negative which is good
xoxoxoo

Day 18...

Its mom's 18th day in the coma and ICU...she is still in very critical condition but making small improvements...the doctors want us to remember that it is still going to be a long while before we see any major improvements and that she could be in this state for a long time depending on how her body reacts

shes pretty much the same, my dad said "like a baby bear in hibernation"
They plan on going in again with the mini camera to see whats going on in her lungs...
her oxygen is back up to 70% because she couldn't tolerate being lower

we will keep you updated if there are any changes

thankyou for all the prayers and kind comments - dad likes coming on and reading them!
xoxo

Day 17

hey everyone...today is the 17th day - and we are about ready to have our mom back ...and dad says he's ready to have his best friend back...and we know all of you are missing her too!
there still isnt much change...she doesnt have a fever today...the other day they lowered the sedation medication (the stuff that keeps her in the coma)but when my dad was in there talking to her today her blood pressure went up...so she knows he was there! (she is still 100% in the coma...)
she is still in ICU and very critical but again, stable and fighting!
Our family wants you all to know how much we appreciate all the thoughts and prayers being sent our way!
xoxoox

Day 16

16th day in the coma...but she’s still holding her own
there still not much change...she is still in the ICU (intensive care unit) her fever is down to 37.9 she is on 50% on the ventilator. The Doctor again said she is very critical and will probably be in a coma for another few weeks....he said she is taking baby baby baby steps everyday ...they said she might sit at the state she is in now for a while because she need to rest.
they examined they yuckies from her lungs again today and said there still wasn't any growing bacteria (which is good)

Im sorry we dont have too much to update...shes kinda sitting at the same place for now
Dad and I suited up and went in too see her today...i was holding her hand and telling her how many people were thinking about her and praying for her...i like to think she can hear me, even though she wont remember it

we promise we will keep you updated if there are any changes
thankyou again for all the love

xo

Day 15

15th day in the coma...but shes definitely holding her own
there still isn't much change...her fever is at 38...she is on 55% on the ventilator...the nurses had sent that yuckie stuff from her lungs to get checked and so far they haven't found any thing too bad in there...they are going to continue to check daily
her white blood cell count is also lower...which is a good thing because it means either there is less infection to fight, or that the medication is doing its job
baby steps right!

I had a dream about my mom last night and she was very happy...the Bahamas was in the same dream...so maybe that's why she was so happy..hehe

ox

Day 14

This is mom's 14th day in the coma....
they took her off the paralysis medication (just for the day) and she hasnt tried to cough yet...so thats good news...but if she tries to cough again then they will have to put her back on it
Her oxygen is down to 50%
fever is 38.1

the machine she is on now makes it look like she is breathing much more naturally...compared to the pulsating one she was on before

xoxoxo

Day 13 pt 3

WOOT WOOT
mom had a good night! She got switched to the bigger breathing tube...and they were able to suck or vacuum out a whole bunch of yuckie stuff from her lungs (on 3 separate occasions). After they did that her vital signs improved across the board...she is back to the old ventilator (which is good) and it allows her breathe more naturally...they are giving her 26 breaths a minute...They also took a sample from her lungs that will be sent out to be tested..

she is still very critical but this is definitely an improvement..and that, we will FINALLY take!
keep those prayers coming...it seems the man upstairs is starting to give in!
xoxoooxoo

hopefully some more good news tomorrow...

Day 13 pt 2

hey everyone...so we just got back from the hospital...unfortunately her breathing tube could not accommodate the camera so they had to replace the existing tube with a larger tube...then hopefully they can look inside her lungs and see whats going on in there. When they removed the first tube there were a few blocks of build up that they were able to remove. This larger tube also has the ability to suck out a little bit of the fluids and infection that are in there. Her lungs are very swollen and they are just trying to keep her steady right now.

The doctor again reiterated that she is still very very critical and it is going to be a really long recovery
they ran some more tests today that we will probably get back by Monday
her fever was down to 38.2 this afternoon
we will update you if there are any changes
xo
kate

Day 13

Mom's temperature is down this morning...38.2 and her heart rate and blood pressure are also down...they are doing a procedure this morning to put a camera into her lung and look around...its going to take bunch of pictures so the doctors can see whats going on in there! We will keep you updated...

Background....

I just wanted to give some background for people that do not know what has been going on with my mom

On Friday the 23rd Mom went to the hospital because she had been having flu-like symptoms and trouble breathing...they gave her a prescription and sent her home. She returned to the hospital Saturday the 24th because she couldnt find one of her inhalers...she was admitted that evening...they wanted to keep her the night so they could monitor her. Mom was moved up to the ICU at 3am and they induced a coma shortly after. Tonight is her 12th night in the coma and on life support, and she has been up and down since...not really making too much progress. She has pneumonia in both lungs along with her severe asthma...she tested positive for influenza A - but they still dont have the results for h1n1 (they are 95% that she has it and are treating her accordingly) She spent her first week in Sarina in isolation...she started to show some improvement early Monday November 2nd...but in evening she took a turn for the worse and our family was called in because the doctor feared that she might not make it through the night...her xray showed a lot of fluid in her lungs...causing 1 to collapse. We stayed in the hospital until 6am and luckily she pulled through!
She was airlifted at 550pm on November 3rd to London and has been at University Hospital since then...She is now on a new ventilator (there are only 3 of them in Ontario!) that pushes 2 -300 breaths into her lungs per minute ( her ventilator in sarnia only gave her 40 breaths per minute) She is hanging in there but she is still in a coma and in isolation in the ICU
we are praying for her all the time and so are many of her friends and family!
we have to be patient as we were told that her recovery would be long and she needs a lot of time for her body to heal!
i hope this blog will be a sucessful tool in keeping everyone updated as my mom fights this illness!
thanks for all the love and support!
xoxo

kate

Day 12

hey everyone...
Im new to this blogging thing but I figured it might be a better way to keep everyone updated about how my mom is doing
Not everyone has fb...and new joiners cant view my moms wall...and this way my dad can update and read the posts as well

i decided on the name of the blog because my sisters and I purchased a "willow tree" angel and she is called "sign for love" the angel was in my moms room with her in sarnia and it came with her to london as well. We wanted to make sure there was someone with mom even when we couldnt be!

kelsie posted the update earlier tonight...moms fever was up a bit tonight - 39.3 (i think) but when my dad called before bed it was down to 38.6
we have a meeting with the doctor tomorrow and we will keep you updated!
xo