By JEAN MARR My reason for writing this is two fold. First and foremost there are no words that could express fully the thanks and praise for the care, compassion and love shown from the staff at Aspen Ridge Assisted Living Facility to my mother in law, Virginia Marr, who recently passed away.
We could never have made it through this experience without their help and expertise. How lucky this community is to have such a wonderful facility to help with our aging community members.Thanks also to Ambercare Hospice for their help during Virginia’s last days.
A very special thanks to the United Church, Pastor David Elton and his staff who helped us through this very emotional and sad time. They were instrumental in making Virginia’s service so very special to us all. They
really went above and beyond to make her day the best it could have been and I know Virginia would have been honored and pleased to hear and see all her family and friends there to help celebrate her life.
Our thanks to the staff at Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico, the Los Alamos Medical Center Emergency Room and the Los Alamos County Fire and Rescue who have assisted us on many occasions.
I also would like to address the fact that my mother-in-law was advised to get a pace maker at the age of ninety. Because of this unfortunate decision it kept Virginia alive for several years past what her body and mind should have endured. It was a heart breaking process to watch her deteriorate and suffer and to live with little dignity or quality of life. Aspen Ridge, her husband of 74 years and her son did their best to make her as comfortable as possible as she suffered until her last breath. I can not begin to tell you the toll it took on my husband and hope that he will someday recover fully from this loss, anger and pain from watching her in this condition.
I plead with any you, that have aging parents, to have a conversation long before a procedure like this is necessary so they fully under the consequences physically, emotionally and financially something like this entails. Believe me when I say aging is not for the faint of heart.
Our special thank as well to our family and friends who were always there for us, for the beautiful cards, flowers and donations make in Virginia’s honor and to my husbands supervisors and staff at LANL’s Emergency Response Group who were amazingly supportive to him during this entire process. How blessed we are to have so many who were there for us through this all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
