Now that Shannon had passed away on December 13, 2012 from an infection to the brain. Shannon had gotten an infection in her toe and from what they could tell it was going away. But instead of going away it had moved its way to her brain. There was nothing they could do at Sky Lakes in Klamath Falls, OR. The only chance Shannon had for survival was to be flown to Portland, OR as they had better surgeons up there, than in Klamath Falls, OR.
That was a similar situation I was up against in 2004 when my Mom ended up with an aneurysm. The difference is they did not fly my mom, they ambulances her to Bend, OR for the neo-sergin on staff at the St. Charles Hospital, in Bend, OR. For me I had to go back south to Tulelake and pick up the things I needed for the trip to Bend, OR and pick up Feisty, our dog. At the time I was given two choices of hospitals to go to in Oregon. It was either Bend or Medford, OR. I choose Bend, OR because I had a cousin I could stay with if I needed to that was in Madres, OR about 50 miles north of Bend,OR. And there was always Redding, CA as a third option where the rest of my older brothers and sister live. That idea was out because I did not get along with any of them.
Here I was the baby and I was the one taking care of my mom 24/7 without any one of them lifting a finger to help me. We were living in Tulelake because Mom with her dementia for some reason could recognize Tulelake, Malin, Merrill and Klamath Falls, OR because my Mom and her brother, my uncle went to Lost River High School in Malin, OR. It was just easier to live somewhere she was able to recognize things, then like Redding, CA where she could get lost driving to a doctor’s appointment.
At least I would be welcome to stay at my cousin Cathy’s house with her son Colton, my second cousin. Who was about 11 years old at the time, and three of us would have fun playing monopoly to all hours of the night. Which was his favorite game to play at the time.
After I went back to Tulelake to pack and pick up Feisty. I was only an hour and half behind my Mom getting to St. Charles Hospital, in Bend, OR.
On December 10th, 2012, a Monday Anita was trying to figure out a way to fly to Portland, OR to be by Shannon’s side before Shannon passed away. As the doctor’s came to the same conclusion, as they did in Klamath Falls, OR and that was if they operated the infection could spend through out Shannon’s entire brain and she would die anyway.
Anita was trying to figure out whom to borrow the money from to make that trip. Driving her car was out of the question, as we didn’t think her car would make another major trip to Portland, like the one the that Shannon and Anita had made in July or August of 2012. But, that time it was for Anita, as they thought, they may have found a treatment up there, that might help prolong Anita’s life. A different form of treatment than Anita was already going through at the Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center in Klamath Falls, OR.
Ray was already packed and heading on his way to Portland as fast as he could get there. Ray mentioned to Anita that in his opinion money was no option that he would find a way to get there. And Anita was not ready to leave at the same time as Ray did. Anita felt she had to find another way. Plus this was the week where she was on the chemo treatments and had just started them on Monday.
The only way to get there was to fly to Portland, but where would the money come from to do that, she had no idea. Anita called the pastor Claude and his wife Marylyn at the Baptist Church in Malin on Rush Ave. Marylyn and the pastor were willing to pay for Anita flight to get to Portland all that needed to be done was to make an reservation and fly there.
So Anita got on the phone checking flight times and schedules. In the mean time the other thing on Anita’s mind was she had no money to go either. Here the Marylyn and the pastor were willing to pay for the fight she felt she could not ask them for money too. This is the church where both Anita would attend for Sunday Services, but Shannon went more often than Anita did. It was still early in the afternoon so Anita called her friend Ruby in Alturas and asked if she could borrow about two hundred dollars for the trip. And Ruby agreed. Anita asked me if I want to go with her the next day with her to go get the money, as it would be faster than try to mail it.
Then the phone rang and it was Ruby she said she had heard on the weather report they were expecting snow tomorrow in the area and that it might be better if we came down there this afternoon to pick it up. So Anita looked at me after she got off the phone with Ruby. "You want to go on a road trip with me to Alturas now?" I said, “why not, let’s go”. And off we went to Alturas, CA as fast as we could get into the car and make sure the dogs had plenty of water and were let out at least once to do their business.
Go to Anita Silva's Last Days. Part Seven
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