Andrew Cope Memorial Fund
Donation protected
"My son Andrew James Cope passed away this afternoon. He was a mischievous 24 years old with a wicked sense of humor. He fought against Downs Syndrome, heart defect, autism and dozens of things i will never understand. He fought coming into this world and going out, and laughed his way through. It was an honor to be his father."
-posted on Facebook by his father, Raymond Cope on 1/13/2017 shortly after his passing.
Andrew was my cousin, he was the spunkiest, most clever and hilarious guy. He was born to Raymond and Naomi with Downs Syndrome, a heart defect and narrow arteries in his lungs. He had several surgeries as a newborn and throughout his childhood for his heart and his lungs. Doctors said he wouldn't live to age 10, but he lived adventurously and mischievously for 14 years beyond that.
Stories of Andrew's antics are always good for a good chuckle, in fact there are so many stories that his sister wrote a book about them. She says, "14 windows. 21 toilets. 3 car windshields. My brother spent his childhood perfecting the arts of breaking things, general misbehaving, and getting away with it. He has an inherited family tendency toward mischief."
We are hoping to raise money to help with the burden of medical expenses as well as money for a funeral to be held in the near future.
Earlier this week he was hospitalized when he was having trouble breathing and tested positive for RSV. Because of his already compromised heart and lungs, the RSV turned into pneumonia and he was soon in kidney failure.
His sister Rachel Cope Unklesbay posted about the situation the morning of 1/13/17:
"Those of you who know my brother are probably aware that his health is bad. His heart is crap, his kidneys are crap, and they've been getting worse for the past few years. This past week, he's been in the hospital with RSV, steadily declining. This morning, my parents decided it was time to stop fighting and let him go. His IVs are unplugged, and he's still on high-flow oxygen, but at this point, we are trying to make him comfortable and waiting for him to die.
"I've been glad to know and love Andrew, and I'm grateful for the faith that this transition will make him more comfortable, even if it's hard for those of us left behind.
"Please be patient with me as I cope with this - I appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers, but I may not be in a good position to respond to anything right now."
We love Andrew and his family and want to do all we can to ease the pain of losing him. We are so incredibly grateful for anything you can give, whether it's prayers of comfort, loving words or donating to the fund.
Thank you,
Abbie Cope Staheli
-posted on Facebook by his father, Raymond Cope on 1/13/2017 shortly after his passing.
Andrew was my cousin, he was the spunkiest, most clever and hilarious guy. He was born to Raymond and Naomi with Downs Syndrome, a heart defect and narrow arteries in his lungs. He had several surgeries as a newborn and throughout his childhood for his heart and his lungs. Doctors said he wouldn't live to age 10, but he lived adventurously and mischievously for 14 years beyond that.
Stories of Andrew's antics are always good for a good chuckle, in fact there are so many stories that his sister wrote a book about them. She says, "14 windows. 21 toilets. 3 car windshields. My brother spent his childhood perfecting the arts of breaking things, general misbehaving, and getting away with it. He has an inherited family tendency toward mischief."
We are hoping to raise money to help with the burden of medical expenses as well as money for a funeral to be held in the near future.
Earlier this week he was hospitalized when he was having trouble breathing and tested positive for RSV. Because of his already compromised heart and lungs, the RSV turned into pneumonia and he was soon in kidney failure.
His sister Rachel Cope Unklesbay posted about the situation the morning of 1/13/17:
"Those of you who know my brother are probably aware that his health is bad. His heart is crap, his kidneys are crap, and they've been getting worse for the past few years. This past week, he's been in the hospital with RSV, steadily declining. This morning, my parents decided it was time to stop fighting and let him go. His IVs are unplugged, and he's still on high-flow oxygen, but at this point, we are trying to make him comfortable and waiting for him to die.
"I've been glad to know and love Andrew, and I'm grateful for the faith that this transition will make him more comfortable, even if it's hard for those of us left behind.
"Please be patient with me as I cope with this - I appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers, but I may not be in a good position to respond to anything right now."
We love Andrew and his family and want to do all we can to ease the pain of losing him. We are so incredibly grateful for anything you can give, whether it's prayers of comfort, loving words or donating to the fund.
Thank you,
Abbie Cope Staheli
Organizer and beneficiary
Abbie Cope Staheli
Organizer
Lubbock, TX
Raymond Cope
Beneficiary