[nagdu] My Mother Crossed the Rainbow Bridge

Thu Nov 26 13:23:18 UTC 2009

Hi Peter, I am sorry to hear about your Mother.  I just lost my mom last
July and understand what your family is going thru.  My prayers with be with
you and your family.  Andy, Salem, MA.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
Behalf Of Charlene Ota
Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2009 12:27 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] My Mother Crossed the Rainbow Bridge

Hi, Peter, just wanted to send you my sympathy and let you know our prayers
are with you and Mary! I know Mary's dad is having a hard go of it, too.
Thanks for sharing about your Mom. I know you'll miss her but one day you'll
see her again.

Wishing you and Mary all the best!

God bless,
Charlene

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Peter Donahue
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 5:39 PM
To: Mary Donahue
Cc: officeofthepresident at nfb.org; faith-talk at nfbnet.org; Steve Shelton;
Rhanda Hasley; williamslev; l.silkey at cox.net; NFBnet Writer's Division
Mailing List; San Antonio Texas Chapter Mailing List; donnajwood at cox.net;
Buna Dahal; Michael K. Freholm; Gibbson565 at aol.com; J BICHLER; Stanzel,Susan
- Kansas City, MO; Lisa Hall; sam jackson; kenneth rollman;
nfb-web at nfbnet.org; sharon luka; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association
of Guide Dog Users; Donna Fanelle; NFB of Missouri Mailing List; Mark Tardif
Subject: [nagdu] My Mother Crossed the Rainbow Bridge

        Good evening everyone,

    This year's Holiday Season will be filled with sorrow and joy. For those
receiving this news for the first time my mother was rushed to Northeast
Methodist Hospital in San Antonio and was later transferred to Main
Methodist to receive treatment from a neuro surgeon. Yesterday morning she
was found slumped in her chair bleeding from the nose and mouth. She is
believed to have suffered a major stroke  and was placed in ICU upon arrival
at Main Methodist. She never regained consciousness and was placed on life
support where she remained until this afternoon. Her condition worsened
during the night. The doctor offered to perform surgery but could not
guarantee a deasent quality of life following the operation. With heavy
hearts we decided to end life support. She crossed the rainbow bridge at
about 1-15 p.m. following termination of life support. She died without
regaining consciousness and is now in a better place.

    We're all sad and shocked with her passing. She exercised and took long
walks to keep in shape and always insisted on eating right. She died at age
73. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

    Mom was a fighter particularly when it came to my education. Like many
parents of blind children during the 1960s and 1970s she was roped in to
believing that the so-called "Experts" with the Department of Education in
Massachusetts had all the answers when it came to teaching blind kids and
where they should attend school. All of that changed when she visited the
Oak Hill School for the Blind in Connecticut for a concert I would be
participating in in 1972. The things she observed during her visit along
with concerns about my well-being at the time prompted her in to action.
Thus began what my family called the "1973 Uprising!" The environment at Oak
Hill and transportation issues lead to a campaign to have me transferred to
the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown Massachusetts if not in to
public high school. When the battle was over I attended Perkins for the
remainder of my high school years and graduated in 1975. To the best of our
knowledge this was the first time the parent of a blind child in
Massachusetts issued a serious challenge to the dogma of special education
officials at that time.

    To set the record straight this happened prior to my involvement in the
National Federation of the Blind. Although we did not know the organization
by name we had its spirit which subsequently allowed myself and many other
blind individuals to have a quality of life we would not have otherwise.
Had the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children been around I
believe mom would have eventually rose to top leadership in that
organization and would have been one of its staunchest members.

    Mom has assisted several other disabled individuals over the years most
recently my adopted niece who has Down's Syndrome. Although they could only
progress to a certain level she expected them to achieve a degree of
independence and self-sufficiency. I am one example of her persistence and
her "Pushing" me to attempt to do the assumingly impossible.
    It will be different tomorrow not hearing her in the kitchen cooking
Thanksgiving Dinner and bossing us around in her demanding and sometimes
humorous way.

    Our Thanksgiving feast will be dedicated to her memory. We're not sure
about funeral services yet. She has requested that her body be cremated
following the funeral.

    Mary and I along with the rest of my family greatly appreciate everyone
keeping us in your prayers and thoughts during this Holiday Season. Mom's
death was sudden and unexpected. We will miss her but we know she crossed
the rainbow bridge and is now among the wranks of family members who
preceded her. Again thanks for keeping us in your prayers and thoughts. All
the best for a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Peter Donahue

"Will you come and awake our lost land from its slumber
      And her fetters we'll break, links that long are encumbered.
      And the air will resound with hosannas to greet you
      On the shore will be found gallant Irishmen to greet you."
Will You Come to the Bower
Traditional Irish Folk Song

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