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Helen Rowe Kenyon (Bartalamay)
September 26, 2009
"Plans have already been made that Helen will be buried back in Washington state. Helen had many friends who will really miss her. As for myself, I have only seen Helen 3 times since we graduated from high school, yet I always felt that I had known her forever. It was as if I had seen her everyday instead of those few days of reunions every 3 years. She and I had already made plans to have the 1st dance at the next reunion following recovery from our respective medical problems. I still plan on having that 1st dance in her honor."
Just eight days before the end, Christine wrote: "Mom asked me to send the next email update and possibly additional updates depending......! At this time all treatment options have been exhausted! This does not mean that something might not become available, but at this time we do not know of any available treatment. We found out on Tuesday that mom has two tumors in the area of her heart. One tumor is on the outside of the heart and the other tumor is on the inside of her heart. Surgery is not an option. The obvious concern is the tumor effecting the heart. "... Mom spent a week at MD Anderson and sitting in the hospital bed really sapped her strentgh. She still has her resilence and zest for life and her smile. We were driving home from Houston and she said, 'Let's see what trials are available locally.' The woman is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Mom has agreed to hospice care and again mom was hesitate, saying 6 months, 'I don't want to run out of benefit time!!!!!!' "Mom is weak due to her hospital stay, but she still has her stubborn streak of indpendence!!! I've never heard of, or seen anyone with a stronger will to live; than my mother and that is her ace in the hole! Please continue to hope and prayer for her! We love you all and thank you for everything!!!!!!!!" Andy Figueroa adds: The end came too quickly for us to carry out the pilgrimage to Texas that many of us were planning to visit with and encourage Helen. Helen was the MHS classmate that I knew the longest. We were in the 2nd grade together, our father's both stationed at Lake Charles AFB. |
Roger Castro writes: "This morning, while she was at home with her husband, Helen passed away after a year long fight with melanoma. Despite her courage and a willingness to engage in some experimental treatments, she succumbed to that fate that awaits all of us at some point or another. It's just too sad that she left us at such a 'young' age. Just last year at the MHS reunion in Sacramento she was full of life and partying hardy. She and her MHS friend, Petra Lacey, even made a quick trip to San Francisco after the reunion before returning home.
"What a difference 14 months can make. Helen now joins our other classmates who have already started this long journey. I know Helen will do well when she confronts St. Peter at the pearly gates.
During her 13 month-long fight against cancer, Helen kept in touch with us by email continuously, and when Helen could not muster the energy to write, her daughter, Christine, sent us a continuous stream of sometimes daily updates.