I just wanted to post this as we are fast approaching the second anniversary this week of the loss of one of our most beloved and wonderful people here on the DIS, Sylvia, aka NicksMom. She was an inspiration and beacon of hope while she was here, both as Moderator and poster, and I'd like to think the genuinely caring spirit with which she imbued all her posts can still mean something today.
And I wanted to post something by Dan Murphy, who certainly put my feelings into words, at the moment of hearing of this sad, sad loss.
This is who we were back then, and this is what the DIS did - and still does - in creating a genuine Community here on the internet. Kudos to you Dan, and here's to the memory of a very dear cyberfriend..............
"Our dear friend and DIS family member, Sylvia, aka NicksMom, passed away this morning, Thursday, June 7, at about 4 AM. After a very brave and courageous 3 1/2 year fight to overcome her inflammatory breast cancer, Sylvia left us today to be with God and the angels, pain and troublefree.
I had never had the pleasure of meeting Sylvia in person, but did have the pleasure of getting to know her over the past 18 months from when she met us here on the DIS. Over the past 8 or 9 months, I additionally had the priviledge of talking with Sylvia on the phone on a somewhat regular basis. I felt a very strong bond with Sylvia, who with her breast cancer, had a common link to Marie, a breast cancer survivor.
Sylvia came on the boards back in January, '00, looking for some budget help to take her DS, Nick, to Disney World. She was going to start a second round of chemo in March and did not know what lay ahead for her health wise. She wanted to take her Nick to WDW, as she had promised him in times past, while she was essentially still strong and 'healthy' before her chemo. She knew that it may be the last time she would be strong enough to make the trek and she did want to share her love of Disney with Nick. Our DIS friend, Maray, aka Marilyn, herself a breast cancer survivor, alerted me to Sylvia's first DIS post on the Budget Board. She said, 'Dan, we have to be able to do some for this lady and her little boy. We are the DIS afterall.' The DIS did come through, and through Pete's help, Sylvia and Nick did have a magical trip, his first, her last, to Disney World. I was so taken up with the human nature of the DIS, it was in itself, magical. Thank you again, Pete.
As it turned out, Sylvia's fears at that time were true...she was never physically able to make the trip again. She started her second chemo treatments very shortly after her return from WDW. Lasting several months, she again was feeling the ravages of her disease. A number of months after finishing her second, she had to begin her third round of chemo. She wound up going on a continual drip chemo, 24/7. She was also doing radiation treatments along the way.
A while back, Pete said he would like to have a little get-to-gether in Orlando, for the moderators and chat hosts...just a simple gathering to express his thanks to the moderator/host folks for the work they do around the DIS, a very nice gesture indeed. At first, Sylvia felt she would not be able to go, what with the travel concerns and stamina you need if you are going to make a mini vacation out of it. I worked diligently for a number of weeks to build up her comfort and confidence levels that she could tackle WDW for a few days either side of Pete's gathering by assuring her I would be at her side constantly, along with her mom. Well, fate should have it, she had to go to the hospital, as we all know, just under 4 weeks ago. Up until the week before she would have left to meet me in Florida, Sylvia was holding out that she would be able to go. Well, she was not of the strength to make the journey. I did talk to both her and her mom most every day while I was there, though her talk times were very limited due to sedation and just general weaknesss.
I last talked to Sylvia, I think last Thursday, while still in Orlando. I talked to her mom on Sunday. This evening I called and the hospital told me she passed away this morning. I called her mom, expressing mine and our collective sorrows and condolences. Her mom, Margarete, is in awe of the DIS. She can not express enough her feelings for what we meant to her daughter and how we made her last days, days she was wrapped with love, friendship and Disney. She said the hospital room walls were covered with cards, notes and letters taped to them. Margarete said she read them to Sylvia daily. She said the medical staff had never seen anything like it before. So many 'strangers' loving a 'stranger'. She had many stuffed animals and the like, many Eeyores, Sylvia's favorite. Margarete says she would love to personally express her thanks, but is not into computers. She asked me to and I am.
Like I said, I never met Sylvia, but am in tears writing this. She was a part of my life for the past 18 months. She was part of the DIS family for the past 18 months. She always will be, as will Tink 2300, aka Stephanie."
The DIS, June 2003 - We shall remember............
And I wanted to post something by Dan Murphy, who certainly put my feelings into words, at the moment of hearing of this sad, sad loss.
This is who we were back then, and this is what the DIS did - and still does - in creating a genuine Community here on the internet. Kudos to you Dan, and here's to the memory of a very dear cyberfriend..............
"Our dear friend and DIS family member, Sylvia, aka NicksMom, passed away this morning, Thursday, June 7, at about 4 AM. After a very brave and courageous 3 1/2 year fight to overcome her inflammatory breast cancer, Sylvia left us today to be with God and the angels, pain and troublefree.
I had never had the pleasure of meeting Sylvia in person, but did have the pleasure of getting to know her over the past 18 months from when she met us here on the DIS. Over the past 8 or 9 months, I additionally had the priviledge of talking with Sylvia on the phone on a somewhat regular basis. I felt a very strong bond with Sylvia, who with her breast cancer, had a common link to Marie, a breast cancer survivor.
Sylvia came on the boards back in January, '00, looking for some budget help to take her DS, Nick, to Disney World. She was going to start a second round of chemo in March and did not know what lay ahead for her health wise. She wanted to take her Nick to WDW, as she had promised him in times past, while she was essentially still strong and 'healthy' before her chemo. She knew that it may be the last time she would be strong enough to make the trek and she did want to share her love of Disney with Nick. Our DIS friend, Maray, aka Marilyn, herself a breast cancer survivor, alerted me to Sylvia's first DIS post on the Budget Board. She said, 'Dan, we have to be able to do some for this lady and her little boy. We are the DIS afterall.' The DIS did come through, and through Pete's help, Sylvia and Nick did have a magical trip, his first, her last, to Disney World. I was so taken up with the human nature of the DIS, it was in itself, magical. Thank you again, Pete.
As it turned out, Sylvia's fears at that time were true...she was never physically able to make the trip again. She started her second chemo treatments very shortly after her return from WDW. Lasting several months, she again was feeling the ravages of her disease. A number of months after finishing her second, she had to begin her third round of chemo. She wound up going on a continual drip chemo, 24/7. She was also doing radiation treatments along the way.
A while back, Pete said he would like to have a little get-to-gether in Orlando, for the moderators and chat hosts...just a simple gathering to express his thanks to the moderator/host folks for the work they do around the DIS, a very nice gesture indeed. At first, Sylvia felt she would not be able to go, what with the travel concerns and stamina you need if you are going to make a mini vacation out of it. I worked diligently for a number of weeks to build up her comfort and confidence levels that she could tackle WDW for a few days either side of Pete's gathering by assuring her I would be at her side constantly, along with her mom. Well, fate should have it, she had to go to the hospital, as we all know, just under 4 weeks ago. Up until the week before she would have left to meet me in Florida, Sylvia was holding out that she would be able to go. Well, she was not of the strength to make the journey. I did talk to both her and her mom most every day while I was there, though her talk times were very limited due to sedation and just general weaknesss.
I last talked to Sylvia, I think last Thursday, while still in Orlando. I talked to her mom on Sunday. This evening I called and the hospital told me she passed away this morning. I called her mom, expressing mine and our collective sorrows and condolences. Her mom, Margarete, is in awe of the DIS. She can not express enough her feelings for what we meant to her daughter and how we made her last days, days she was wrapped with love, friendship and Disney. She said the hospital room walls were covered with cards, notes and letters taped to them. Margarete said she read them to Sylvia daily. She said the medical staff had never seen anything like it before. So many 'strangers' loving a 'stranger'. She had many stuffed animals and the like, many Eeyores, Sylvia's favorite. Margarete says she would love to personally express her thanks, but is not into computers. She asked me to and I am.
Like I said, I never met Sylvia, but am in tears writing this. She was a part of my life for the past 18 months. She was part of the DIS family for the past 18 months. She always will be, as will Tink 2300, aka Stephanie."
The DIS, June 2003 - We shall remember............
