Update On Joanne
____________________________ A meeting place for the FRIAMILY of Joanne Daquano _____________________________Tuesday, September 26
Final blog from Mike ...
We're back.
Safe and sound.
We arrived at 12:30 p.m. on Monday Sept 25. The first day of the rest of our lives.
On all eight feet.
Before we opened the door to the van and got out, I told my three precious children that they are the only three things on this earth that truly belong to me. I have to share them, and it will be hard. I will make mistakes, but I am going to be the best Dad I can be. I told them once again how proud I was of them, and told them for the gazillionth time how much I love them. (Can you ever really say it enough?)
Once we had unpacked and put dirty clothes where they are supposed to be, I had an opportunity to catch up on some mail. Not ten minutes into this exercise did Darcy come downstairs and announce that she would like to shave her legs and could she please use Dylan's razor. Thanks Darcy. Couldn't even wait twenty four hours before making me help her grow up and be a woman! Oh the joy. (I did buy her own razor and cream when I went shopping last evening, so she's good to go.)
The kids all jumped right back into their lives last night. They met up with all their important friends after school. The joy in their faces was proof enough for me that they're okay. They all did the things they love the most; Dylan went to a concert, Dean had a hockey practice and Darcy had dance. All eight feet were dancing last night. Dancing to the music of life. Our crazy, wonderfully busy life.
I'm not as fine as I thought I was going to be. My heart is aching so much more now than I expected.
But with the knowledge of the support we have with our Friamily, I know I'll be okay.
Ian Thomas says "Time is the Healer". Absolutely.
And now, I pass our lives back into our own private world. I have tried to use words to help me understand this, this ..... disaster? Process? Significant Emotional Event. I will no longer use the blog. I have email, I have a land line and a cell phone and we are alive and well in our home. Please write, call or visit.
Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for the unbelievable comradeship, support and sharing you have done with us.
May our Angel Rest in Peace and guide our weary souls to joy.
I Love You Joanne.
SYLYM
Safe and sound.
We arrived at 12:30 p.m. on Monday Sept 25. The first day of the rest of our lives.
On all eight feet.
Before we opened the door to the van and got out, I told my three precious children that they are the only three things on this earth that truly belong to me. I have to share them, and it will be hard. I will make mistakes, but I am going to be the best Dad I can be. I told them once again how proud I was of them, and told them for the gazillionth time how much I love them. (Can you ever really say it enough?)
Once we had unpacked and put dirty clothes where they are supposed to be, I had an opportunity to catch up on some mail. Not ten minutes into this exercise did Darcy come downstairs and announce that she would like to shave her legs and could she please use Dylan's razor. Thanks Darcy. Couldn't even wait twenty four hours before making me help her grow up and be a woman! Oh the joy. (I did buy her own razor and cream when I went shopping last evening, so she's good to go.)
The kids all jumped right back into their lives last night. They met up with all their important friends after school. The joy in their faces was proof enough for me that they're okay. They all did the things they love the most; Dylan went to a concert, Dean had a hockey practice and Darcy had dance. All eight feet were dancing last night. Dancing to the music of life. Our crazy, wonderfully busy life.
I'm not as fine as I thought I was going to be. My heart is aching so much more now than I expected.
But with the knowledge of the support we have with our Friamily, I know I'll be okay.
Ian Thomas says "Time is the Healer". Absolutely.
And now, I pass our lives back into our own private world. I have tried to use words to help me understand this, this ..... disaster? Process? Significant Emotional Event. I will no longer use the blog. I have email, I have a land line and a cell phone and we are alive and well in our home. Please write, call or visit.
Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for the unbelievable comradeship, support and sharing you have done with us.
May our Angel Rest in Peace and guide our weary souls to joy.
I Love You Joanne.
SYLYM
posted by Ted D # 10:49 AM 
Comments:
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It has been a most wonderful thing to be able to read everyday for the past 6 weeks and share in this life changing journey with you and your precious family. I do not have a personal relationship with you all, yet, have grown to love and care for you so much over this past little while. I will miss the blog, and hearing how you are all doing. I understand how important it is though, to try to get back to a life on your own, without all of Georgetown (and more) knowing every step, every emotion, etc.
I still feel this unending ache to want to help- somehow. Maybe my time for that will be sometime in the future, as I know you have so much friamily surrounding you at this time. May God bless you guys- so abundantly. With so many things. Thank you-for everything. You'll do great.
Sincerely
Tammy Crawley
I still feel this unending ache to want to help- somehow. Maybe my time for that will be sometime in the future, as I know you have so much friamily surrounding you at this time. May God bless you guys- so abundantly. With so many things. Thank you-for everything. You'll do great.
Sincerely
Tammy Crawley
# posted by 
: 1:38 PM
: 1:38 PM
HI Mike,
Welcome HOME! I wanted to share a very special moment I had today with you. I sat in my red teacher chair this morning, taking attendance with my SK class, and in walks in your smiling son. Dean came in smiling with his friends Tyler and Connor who are working on the food drive at school. Tyler started to introduce Dean to the class but I had to jump in with a big HI and how was Florida. It was so nice to see him smiling and brightening up our school again. I am looking forward to seeing Darcy too. I hope she comes in to say hello and help out now and then.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us all. God Bless.
Ramona
Welcome HOME! I wanted to share a very special moment I had today with you. I sat in my red teacher chair this morning, taking attendance with my SK class, and in walks in your smiling son. Dean came in smiling with his friends Tyler and Connor who are working on the food drive at school. Tyler started to introduce Dean to the class but I had to jump in with a big HI and how was Florida. It was so nice to see him smiling and brightening up our school again. I am looking forward to seeing Darcy too. I hope she comes in to say hello and help out now and then.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us all. God Bless.
Ramona
# posted by : 2:06 PM
: 2:06 PM
Welcome home Daquano family. God Bless you all. Please know that we are all here for you whenever you need us.
With all my love,
Kitsa
With all my love,
Kitsa
# posted by : 3:42 PM
: 3:42 PM
The blog became something bigger and something more important than anyone ever intended it to be. It made us weep. It made us laugh. It made us addicted!
We all shared in something touching, personal and wonderful. The blog created a bigger sense of self, of community, of FRIAMILY that snowballed with love, with sorrow, with grief and in mourning. It swirls now in peace and in hope on our way to joy.
I thank everyone for allowing this blog to become something bigger than itself. Thank you Mike and Joanne for allowing me to take this most difficult and emotional journey along side you.
Thank you Joanne for being my "sister", being my friend and teaching me to just put one foot in front of the other.
LIVE
LOVE
LAUGH
Kim
We all shared in something touching, personal and wonderful. The blog created a bigger sense of self, of community, of FRIAMILY that snowballed with love, with sorrow, with grief and in mourning. It swirls now in peace and in hope on our way to joy.
I thank everyone for allowing this blog to become something bigger than itself. Thank you Mike and Joanne for allowing me to take this most difficult and emotional journey along side you.
Thank you Joanne for being my "sister", being my friend and teaching me to just put one foot in front of the other.
LIVE
LOVE
LAUGH
Kim
# posted by : 6:05 PM
: 6:05 PM
I am glad to hear that you've all arrived home safely!
Thank you for openly allowing us to laugh, love and grieve with you throughout this journey of strength and loss.
I am walking in the CIBC Run for a Cure this weekend in Joanne's honour. I felt it was my way of saying, "Goodbye" to a memorable friend and colleague.
May God bless and give you strength for years to come DQs!
I'll think of you often as I clean my driveway endlessly throughout the Northern Ontario winter.
Jamie-Lynn O'Neill
Sault Ste Marie
Thank you for openly allowing us to laugh, love and grieve with you throughout this journey of strength and loss.
I am walking in the CIBC Run for a Cure this weekend in Joanne's honour. I felt it was my way of saying, "Goodbye" to a memorable friend and colleague.
May God bless and give you strength for years to come DQs!
I'll think of you often as I clean my driveway endlessly throughout the Northern Ontario winter.
Jamie-Lynn O'Neill
Sault Ste Marie
# posted by : 9:12 PM
: 9:12 PM
Mike thank you again for opening up to all of us on the blog. I know the blog went much further and deaper than you could have ever dreamed. There were many a morning when Tom would come down to find me sitting in front of the computer with tears rolling down my face. The words that you, Dylan, Kay, Kim and all the rest of the Daquano/d'Entremonts expressed will not be forgotten.
Thank you for giving me a mechanism to communicate with Joanne. It simply made me feel better to be able to do so.
I truly was blessed to have Joanne as a friend. Tom and I look forward to our continued friendship with you.
Cara Jarv
Thank you for giving me a mechanism to communicate with Joanne. It simply made me feel better to be able to do so.
I truly was blessed to have Joanne as a friend. Tom and I look forward to our continued friendship with you.
Cara Jarv
# posted by : 11:07 PM
: 11:07 PM
I want to thank Val for her perspective on grief! I have recently lost someone that I love very much and never anticipated the process of grief to be so difficult. Your analogy of a roller coaster is right on. In life, we are accustomed to getting 'better' and seeing progress on a daily basis...grief does not work this way. I have learned to enjoy the good moments and embrace the bad. The way I look at it is that although I can feel so sad at tmes, it means that I was so blessed to have been loved by the one who has passed--I wouldn't trade that special bond for the ease of pain now.
# posted by : 7:34 AM
: 7:34 AM
Dear Mike and children,
The road to healing is often long and winding, but take comfort in knowing that you are not EVER alone in your journey. As Joannes' pain and suffering has come to an end, so too will yours become managable. Although it may be difficult to see now through the sorrow and the tears....you will get there! How can you not with all of the prayers for your health, safety and happiness and with the wonderful and constant support from your "friamily". Your hearts will mend and your spirits will soar with joy once again. And we will all be so very proud of you when you take those baby steps towards happiness. Remember, God never gives to us what we cannot endure. Sometimes it is hard to accept, but it is so very true. He keeps his promises, and He has enormous plans for all four of you. Let Him guide you onwards. Stay strong, ALWAYS accept help from where ever it is extended and always keep your faith, because it has definately renewed mine.
Your stranger from the hospital,
Robyn Roe
The road to healing is often long and winding, but take comfort in knowing that you are not EVER alone in your journey. As Joannes' pain and suffering has come to an end, so too will yours become managable. Although it may be difficult to see now through the sorrow and the tears....you will get there! How can you not with all of the prayers for your health, safety and happiness and with the wonderful and constant support from your "friamily". Your hearts will mend and your spirits will soar with joy once again. And we will all be so very proud of you when you take those baby steps towards happiness. Remember, God never gives to us what we cannot endure. Sometimes it is hard to accept, but it is so very true. He keeps his promises, and He has enormous plans for all four of you. Let Him guide you onwards. Stay strong, ALWAYS accept help from where ever it is extended and always keep your faith, because it has definately renewed mine.
Your stranger from the hospital,
Robyn Roe
# posted by : 11:44 AM
: 11:44 AM
I have never personally met Mike or any of the Friamily, however, I did briefly meet Joanne at the screening of "Don't Stand Still". My good friend Allison also participated in the documentary and as a Team Member of 'Ali's Alliance of Angels' I was included in the filming. Joanne was the only other participant that I wanted to meet at that time and now I'm glad I had a moment of her time to express my admiration for her, her husband and children. When Allison told me about this blog I started checking in daily only to discover a wonderful, loving place for all kinds of people to meet, discuss and express their emotions and feelings as events unfolded. I thank each and every one of you for allowing us into your world at this life changing time. You have shown more people than you'll ever know the proper, correct and decent manner in which the friamily conducted themselves, before, during and after saying final goodbyes. I will miss this blog but I am comforted by Mike's final goodbye. Thank you.
Nancy
Nancy
# posted by : 11:55 AM
: 11:55 AM
I wanted to say Goodbye. I have never met anyone from this awe-inspiring friamily. I had never even heard of you until my sister-in-law, Sue Forster, directed me to your blog. And yet somehow, as I have poured over these hundreds of meaningful words, I find myself 'connected' in a way that I cannot explain. Maybe it is because I have lost far too many family members and friends to cancer. My grandmother passed away from Leukemia seven years ago (I still can't believe it has been that long) at the young age of 66. And to this day, it is still one of the hardest things I struggle with. Mike, although we have never met, I somehow feel as though we are on that wacky roller coaster of grief together. I do not know how you seem to be holding it all together so well. I find you and your wonderful children give me such a feeling of warmth and security (I know that sounds funny) which I'm sure many other people that have been reading this blog would attest to as well. Following your story has made sense out of sorrow and given so many of us a chance to understand how fragile life really is. I will be sad to see the blog go, and will have to take it off of my "favorties" list, but I understand closure. And I hope you all find that closure. This is not supposed to be an easy journey, and it will likely get harder before it gets easier. Thank you for letting us share in your most personal and challenging journey. I hope you find peace and calm. I feel regret for never having met Joanne, but maybe one day our paths will cross, and I will get a glimpse of the legacy!
It certainly sounds like she left footprints on many hearts.
A friend of a friend,
Amanda Feindell
Phelpston
p.s. I know I ramble on...thanks for listening!
It certainly sounds like she left footprints on many hearts.
A friend of a friend,
Amanda Feindell
Phelpston
p.s. I know I ramble on...thanks for listening!
# posted by : 3:03 PM
: 3:03 PM
I too am a friend of a friend who feels honoured to have been let into the hearts of this friamily through this blog.
This comment is just to let you know about something I once heard, and that is that heaven isn't far beyond the clouds as is commonly assumed. Heaven is actually only three feet above where we stand. Maybe objects really are closer than they appear.
Love and peace to all the friamily.
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This comment is just to let you know about something I once heard, and that is that heaven isn't far beyond the clouds as is commonly assumed. Heaven is actually only three feet above where we stand. Maybe objects really are closer than they appear.
Love and peace to all the friamily.
# posted by : 11:22 PM
: 11:22 PM<< Home
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