Project 444-4Love4Respect4Dignity
Donation protected
On the morning of December 26th, our family lost someone very dear to our hearts. Cathi was diagnosed with Huntington's disease about 15 years ago. It runs in the family. There is no cure. There is no treatment. There is no hope for a long normal life. If you are not familiar with this disease, it takes away your ability to move, your ability to think, your ability to live. It is very common for people with Huntington’s to contemplate suicide as a means to an end. You see, this was Cathi's plan. She never wanted us, her family to have to take care of her. She never wanted to be plugged into machines to keep her alive. She lived her 43 years to the fullest. She lived in 4 different states. She traveled through Europe. She traveled across the US. She made lasting friendships everywhere she went because; people could see the light in her eyes and the joy she took everywhere she went.
As of right now, no one has found her body. She chose to sneak out of the house, in the middle of the night. We, found her suicide note, the police found her belongings beside the train bridge. This bridge is over the Susquehanna River in Havre de Grace, MD. Havre de Grace is where Cathi was from, where her brother, my husband, Wes was born. It is where their family still lives.
This river has significance to Wes. Not far from the headwaters, near Cooperstown, NY is where their father, Francis was born. At the mouth of it in Havre de Grace was where Wes was born, and raised. This is also, of course, where Cathi chose to end her life.
There is 444 miles between the two points. Wes is planning on kayaking the entire length of this. He wants to do it to memorialize Cathi. He wants to connect the beginning of this river to the beginning of him and his sister. He wants to connect with people along the way to raise awareness for others in similar situations.
Above anything else, though, he wants to create awareness of end of life choices for people with terminal illnesses. We both want to create that awareness so families can support their loved ones no matter how they choose their life to end. So that no family has to wake up to not knowing how or where they loved ones are.
All funds will go towards the 12-15 days he will be on the river. Any funds not used for this trip will be donated to a charity yet to be determined. He will contact media along the way to create awareness that the Death with Dignity laws is sometimes not enough. Current laws are based on time and not quality of life. Someone with a disease similar to Cathi's, ALS, Parkinson, etc. will not have a 6 month to live diagnosis until their quality of life has been gone a long time.
We want to create a new dialogue about death, about love, and about respect.
Thank you for reading our story and any help you can give. Everything is appreciated.
4 Love
4 Respect
4 Dignity
We are hoping to document this event, in one form or another. If you or anyone you know would have information on how to achieve this, please let us know.
As of right now, no one has found her body. She chose to sneak out of the house, in the middle of the night. We, found her suicide note, the police found her belongings beside the train bridge. This bridge is over the Susquehanna River in Havre de Grace, MD. Havre de Grace is where Cathi was from, where her brother, my husband, Wes was born. It is where their family still lives.
This river has significance to Wes. Not far from the headwaters, near Cooperstown, NY is where their father, Francis was born. At the mouth of it in Havre de Grace was where Wes was born, and raised. This is also, of course, where Cathi chose to end her life.
There is 444 miles between the two points. Wes is planning on kayaking the entire length of this. He wants to do it to memorialize Cathi. He wants to connect the beginning of this river to the beginning of him and his sister. He wants to connect with people along the way to raise awareness for others in similar situations.
Above anything else, though, he wants to create awareness of end of life choices for people with terminal illnesses. We both want to create that awareness so families can support their loved ones no matter how they choose their life to end. So that no family has to wake up to not knowing how or where they loved ones are.
All funds will go towards the 12-15 days he will be on the river. Any funds not used for this trip will be donated to a charity yet to be determined. He will contact media along the way to create awareness that the Death with Dignity laws is sometimes not enough. Current laws are based on time and not quality of life. Someone with a disease similar to Cathi's, ALS, Parkinson, etc. will not have a 6 month to live diagnosis until their quality of life has been gone a long time.
We want to create a new dialogue about death, about love, and about respect.
Thank you for reading our story and any help you can give. Everything is appreciated.
4 Love
4 Respect
4 Dignity
We are hoping to document this event, in one form or another. If you or anyone you know would have information on how to achieve this, please let us know.
Organizer
Jesica Breitenbach
Organizer
Knoxville, TN