Robert’s Memorial and Aid for his Widow,Tana Marie

A New Reality Begins - The Final Stages

 

The day Tana heard from Robert’s Oncologist that they had ‘Missed the Treatment Window for the Cancer’... she was Grief-stricken. The Cancer was now too far advanced, and he prescribed a shift to ‘Comfort Care’. If you’ve ever been through this, you know how Excruciating it is. No matter how hard Robert fought to beat the Cancer and be with his Beloved Tana, his body just couldn’t make it.

 

For Tana it was Indescribable Torture watching him slip away. He passed away on April 11, 2022. That is the day the Earth Stood Still, and Tana’s Heart Shattered.

 

A Beautiful Life Ended, but the Bills Do Not

 

Tana and Robert arrived in Seattle as a couple. Tana will be leaving alone.

6 SOLID MONTHS of Hospital stays, 5 Emergency Rooms, Radiotherapy Treatments, 3 Rehab Facilities, Rooms on ALL 8 Floors of Evergreen Hospital, untold number of Drs, Nurses, Social Workers, Palliative Care Workers, PTs/OTs/STs worked with him, dozens of expensive medications to treat many different issues, and Medical equipment have generated Huge Medical Bills, and Tana needs Financial Help to cover those and ‘normal’ ongoing bills.

 

She also needs help transitioning to a New Life. They were on a limited income that has now become even more so. While Grieving Unbearably, Tana is trying to rally and complete the mountains of paperwork, plan his Memorial and make plans for herself to go forward – whatever that may look like. She doesn’t even have a Home to go back to…

 

She’s thinking about spending some time with her sister and family in Ohio while she gets back on her feet, but before she can do that, she needs to return to Monterey for a while to finish settling Robert's affairs. She needs help with Travel Expenses, Living Expenses, and ongoing Bills.

 

Any size Donation and Prayers would be greatly appreciated!

 

Note from Tana:

How do you say ‘Goodbye’ to the LOVE OF YOUR LIFE?

My Wonderful Robert passed away on April 11, 2022. In my Overwhelming GRIEF I haven’t figured out how to say Farewell to my Energizer Bunny, Best Friend, Soul Mate and Ideal Partner…let alone Envision a Life without him…

WABET, I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS & FOREVER! Your Re…

 

Interested in their Back Story? Read on my Friends…

 

Who are Robert & Tana Marie?

Have you ever met one of those couples who are so close that you can hardly tell where one ends and the other begins? Who are so truly, genuinely, IN LOVE that you can almost see it emanating from them like a soft, glowing light?

That was Tana Marie and Robert. They were a couple that defined the word “SOULMATES”. Together for 30 years, doing well, living in Monterey, CA and loving every minute. But life has a way of taking you places that you never thought you would go, and in the last few years, they found themselves on a journey they never anticipated.

 

Rev. Tana Marie Richards Misrack is a Minister, Counselor, Author and Radio Personality (to name a few pursuits), and Robert was an Army Veteran, and worked for 25 years as a Self-employed Corporate Trainer and Author. Then he worked for the State of CA going to different Offices teaching Communication and Teamwork Skills, and did Outplacement work. Then the state Closed the Career Centers, and Robert was out of a job. Even though he was in his late 70’s, he had boundless energy and a great desire to contribute. So, he started driving for Uber and Lyft. He drove 12 hours a day almost every day of the week for 5 Years. He Loved meeting people, and everyone adored him; he was one of the Top-Rated Drivers in both companies. But then the Pandemic hit rideshare was stopped during the shutdown. Of course, that meant that their combined income took a big hit. They had to rely on a combination of Tana’s Counseling and Social Security checks to pay the bills.

 

To add insult to injury, the Landlord of the house they were Leasing, and intending to Buy, said he was selling the house, and they would have to move out in 10 days. They searched all over the area, but nothing decent was available.

 

So, they decided since everything they owned was in Storage, they’d travel, visit and help out Friends and Family while figuring out their next step. One-stop on the journey was to Seattle to visit dear friends Linda and Dave, to whom Tana will be Forever Grateful for their Generosity and Love.

 

The Day their Lives Changed Forever

 

There are moments in life when your entire world, everything you know about how your life works and where you are going, vanishes and is replaced by a new reality that you barely comprehend. Sunday, October 24, 2021 was such a day for them.

 

It began normally. Robert hadn't been feeling very well for a day or two, so they thought they’d go to the clinic to have him checked out. While getting ready, he went into the living room. Tana heard a crash and ran into the room to see a CSI Crime Scene - Robert lying on the Hearth in a Pool of Blood. Seeing him lying there was the moment she knew their lives had Changed Forever. He had Collapsed, hit his head on the corner of the Fireplace Insert, slicing a 7” long deep gash on his forehead that was bleeding profusely. Tana called 911. He was rushed to Evergreen Hospital 1 mile from the house – Miraculously the Top Rated Cancer Center in the Country!

 

The New Medical Reality

 

The doctors at Evergreen expertly dealt with the gash on his forehead and then began extensive tests, (PET Scans, MRI’s, Ultrasounds, EEGs, and many others) to understand what caused the fall. After many tests, they determined that it was Cancerous Lesions in his Brain and Lung Cancer. They were stunned because he had always been so Healthy.

 

The Treatment Saga

 

The doctors and Robert were extremely positive and hopeful. Both Cancers were treatable with Leading-edge Treatments called Radiotherapy (for his Brain) and Immunotherapy (for the Lungs and other parts of the body). Robert was eager to go for it and went into it with his usual upbeat optimism and heartfelt determination. It was decided to start with the Brain Tumors - this went Extremely well. By the time the treatments were completed, his Brain was 98% Cancer Free. However, further tests on his lungs revealed that those tumors were further advanced than initially thought; they had become Stage 4 – so Immunotherapy was the Answer for him. But before he could start, he needed to build up his strength in the ARU (Acute Rehab Unit.) But the clock was ticking on the treatment window. They would need to start Treatment ASAP - before the Cancer progressed too much further.

 

By early December, after many discussions with the Amazing staff at Evergreen, Tana was able to find him a room in a rehab facility not very far away. However, COVID restrictions were in place, and she would NOT be able to visit him and he was in a 2-week Isolation Period. That was yet another painful struggle for a couple as close as they were, but they persevered. At last, Robert got to come home for Christmas. Within a couple of days a serious Blood Infection had set in that put him back in Evergreen’s Emergency Room.

 

The hospital staff helped Tana find another Rehab Facility since the first one no longer had a bed available. The new one was 50 miles away, which made it almost a 3-hour drive in the heavy Seattle traffic. That combined with CoVid restrictions of ‘No Visitors What-So-Ever’, made it impossible for Tana to visit in person. They were once again limited to FaceTime Phone Conversations. He was in that Rehab/Skilled Nursing Facility for almost 2 Months, partly because the Infection reoccurred. Unable to See well due to Cancer-related Double Vision, he couldn’t watch TV or read – He kept his Optimism, but his loneliness was Indescribable!

 

After 3 False Starts, he hit all the Benchmarks that were needed to come back to the house where they were staying and FINALLY start the Immunotherapy treatments. The Day Before he was to begin Treatments, the Serious Infection/Sepsis came back. Once again, he was taken to the Emergency Room and Re-admitted to the hospital… Sadly that was the Beginning of the End.