Joybug was a gift from God to our family. She saw the world with the IQ of a 6-month old but that did not in any way stop her from getting her point across. She was one of the strongest people I have ever met. She couldn't talk but she had a way of letting you know what she wanted.
I was fortunate enough to get to help take care of her. When her Mom went somewhere with her sisters, I always stayed with MaMa to help with Joybug and when MaMa went somewhere, I would stay with Willene and help her. As she got older, she was in the hospital several times and I always had the pleasure of staying with her there, too.
Her first stay in the hospital was for eight weeks. She never really was around strangers and she would let everyone come in and do blood gases, labs, and everything and would sorta freeze when the came in. To keep from upsetting her too much, the surgeon even came to her room and put her port in. They let me stay while they made the two inch incision and she was the same - frozen and silent. Then one of her IV sites got infected and they had to do surgery on her hand. We were worried that she would pick at it, but she didn't - she just held it stiff and wouldn't move it so they sent Physical Therapy in to see her. Now this 30 year old, who didn't say but a couple of words - Momma and ''gooden?' (that is what she said when she was hungry), started saying, 'Oh-ee, Oh-ee, Oh-ee in the most pitiful voice you can imagine. We had been told that they would come in twice a day to do Physical Therapy and that we could not do it. After her being so pitiful, they peeked in the door and told us that we needed to do it with her. After that, every time she saw a nurse or housekeeping or anybody - she would use her new pitiful voice and say, 'Oh-ee' over and over till they left the room. Those nurses learned to do everything in one trip because she made them feel so bad for even coming in her room. The last four weeks we were there, it was pretty peaceful in her room. We still laugh about her wrapping the hospital staff around her fingers with one little word! After she left the hospital, she only said it when my uncle came to do her Physical Therapy once a day.
After her mom passed away, I became her guardian. I won't lie and say it was easy but the smiles and laughs she gave me far outweighed everything else.
She loved music and loved for you to sing quietly to her. She loved to eat and her favorites were ice cream and chocolate milk. She also loved to go for rides in the car and her favorite place to go was the McDonald's drive through for a cup of ice cream. She had a rough life but was content to sit and play with Pa Pa's fingers for hours on end or open the door and watch it close hundreds of times repetitiously.
She got a kidney infection in late Apr, 2008 and had temp of 107. She went peacefully in her sleep surrounded by loving family members amidst laughter at some of her antics and tears for the loss of our "family angel." She was a blessing to me and I miss her dearly. She gave me so much more than I ever gave her. She taught me patience and true, unconditional love, and the peace of being content watching the beauty of the clouds floating by.
I know that now, she doesn't have to sit and watch the clouds go by - she is now running on the streets of gold and talking everybody's ears off. I also know that one day, I will get to walk with her and talk with her and listen to her sing in the angels' choir. I love you, Joybug!
I was fortunate enough to get to help take care of her. When her Mom went somewhere with her sisters, I always stayed with MaMa to help with Joybug and when MaMa went somewhere, I would stay with Willene and help her. As she got older, she was in the hospital several times and I always had the pleasure of staying with her there, too.
Her first stay in the hospital was for eight weeks. She never really was around strangers and she would let everyone come in and do blood gases, labs, and everything and would sorta freeze when the came in. To keep from upsetting her too much, the surgeon even came to her room and put her port in. They let me stay while they made the two inch incision and she was the same - frozen and silent. Then one of her IV sites got infected and they had to do surgery on her hand. We were worried that she would pick at it, but she didn't - she just held it stiff and wouldn't move it so they sent Physical Therapy in to see her. Now this 30 year old, who didn't say but a couple of words - Momma and ''gooden?' (that is what she said when she was hungry), started saying, 'Oh-ee, Oh-ee, Oh-ee in the most pitiful voice you can imagine. We had been told that they would come in twice a day to do Physical Therapy and that we could not do it. After her being so pitiful, they peeked in the door and told us that we needed to do it with her. After that, every time she saw a nurse or housekeeping or anybody - she would use her new pitiful voice and say, 'Oh-ee' over and over till they left the room. Those nurses learned to do everything in one trip because she made them feel so bad for even coming in her room. The last four weeks we were there, it was pretty peaceful in her room. We still laugh about her wrapping the hospital staff around her fingers with one little word! After she left the hospital, she only said it when my uncle came to do her Physical Therapy once a day.
After her mom passed away, I became her guardian. I won't lie and say it was easy but the smiles and laughs she gave me far outweighed everything else.
She loved music and loved for you to sing quietly to her. She loved to eat and her favorites were ice cream and chocolate milk. She also loved to go for rides in the car and her favorite place to go was the McDonald's drive through for a cup of ice cream. She had a rough life but was content to sit and play with Pa Pa's fingers for hours on end or open the door and watch it close hundreds of times repetitiously.
She got a kidney infection in late Apr, 2008 and had temp of 107. She went peacefully in her sleep surrounded by loving family members amidst laughter at some of her antics and tears for the loss of our "family angel." She was a blessing to me and I miss her dearly. She gave me so much more than I ever gave her. She taught me patience and true, unconditional love, and the peace of being content watching the beauty of the clouds floating by.
I know that now, she doesn't have to sit and watch the clouds go by - she is now running on the streets of gold and talking everybody's ears off. I also know that one day, I will get to walk with her and talk with her and listen to her sing in the angels' choir. I love you, Joybug!
Joybug was a gift from God to our family. She saw the world with the IQ of a 6-month old but that did not in any way stop her from getting her point across. She was one of the strongest people I have ever met. She couldn't talk but she had a way of letting you know what she wanted.
I was fortunate enough to get to help take care of her. When her Mom went somewhere with her sisters, I always stayed with MaMa to help with Joybug and when MaMa went somewhere, I would stay with Willene and help her. As she got older, she was in the hospital several times and I always had the pleasure of staying with her there, too.
Her first stay in the hospital was for eight weeks. She never really was around strangers and she would let everyone come in and do blood gases, labs, and everything and would sorta freeze when the came in. To keep from upsetting her too much, the surgeon even came to her room and put her port in. They let me stay while they made the two inch incision and she was the same - frozen and silent. Then one of her IV sites got infected and they had to do surgery on her hand. We were worried that she would pick at it, but she didn't - she just held it stiff and wouldn't move it so they sent Physical Therapy in to see her. Now this 30 year old, who didn't say but a couple of words - Momma and ''gooden?' (that is what she said when she was hungry), started saying, 'Oh-ee, Oh-ee, Oh-ee in the most pitiful voice you can imagine. We had been told that they would come in twice a day to do Physical Therapy and that we could not do it. After her being so pitiful, they peeked in the door and told us that we needed to do it with her. After that, every time she saw a nurse or housekeeping or anybody - she would use her new pitiful voice and say, 'Oh-ee' over and over till they left the room. Those nurses learned to do everything in one trip because she made them feel so bad for even coming in her room. The last four weeks we were there, it was pretty peaceful in her room. We still laugh about her wrapping the hospital staff around her fingers with one little word! After she left the hospital, she only said it when my uncle came to do her Physical Therapy once a day.
After her mom passed away, I became her guardian. I won't lie and say it was easy but the smiles and laughs she gave me far outweighed everything else.
She loved music and loved for you to sing quietly to her. She loved to eat and her favorites were ice cream and chocolate milk. She also loved to go for rides in the car and her favorite place to go was the McDonald's drive through for a cup of ice cream. She had a rough life but was content to sit and play with Pa Pa's fingers for hours on end or open the door and watch it close hundreds of times repetitiously.
She got a kidney infection in late Apr, 2008 and had temp of 107. She went peacefully in her sleep surrounded by loving family members amidst laughter at some of her antics and tears for the loss of our "family angel." She was a blessing to me and I miss her dearly. She gave me so much more than I ever gave her. She taught me patience and true, unconditional love, and the peace of being content watching the beauty of the clouds floating by.
I know that now, she doesn't have to sit and watch the clouds go by - she is now running on the streets of gold and talking everybody's ears off. I also know that one day, I will get to walk with her and talk with her and listen to her sing in the angels' choir. I love you, Joybug!
I was fortunate enough to get to help take care of her. When her Mom went somewhere with her sisters, I always stayed with MaMa to help with Joybug and when MaMa went somewhere, I would stay with Willene and help her. As she got older, she was in the hospital several times and I always had the pleasure of staying with her there, too.
Her first stay in the hospital was for eight weeks. She never really was around strangers and she would let everyone come in and do blood gases, labs, and everything and would sorta freeze when the came in. To keep from upsetting her too much, the surgeon even came to her room and put her port in. They let me stay while they made the two inch incision and she was the same - frozen and silent. Then one of her IV sites got infected and they had to do surgery on her hand. We were worried that she would pick at it, but she didn't - she just held it stiff and wouldn't move it so they sent Physical Therapy in to see her. Now this 30 year old, who didn't say but a couple of words - Momma and ''gooden?' (that is what she said when she was hungry), started saying, 'Oh-ee, Oh-ee, Oh-ee in the most pitiful voice you can imagine. We had been told that they would come in twice a day to do Physical Therapy and that we could not do it. After her being so pitiful, they peeked in the door and told us that we needed to do it with her. After that, every time she saw a nurse or housekeeping or anybody - she would use her new pitiful voice and say, 'Oh-ee' over and over till they left the room. Those nurses learned to do everything in one trip because she made them feel so bad for even coming in her room. The last four weeks we were there, it was pretty peaceful in her room. We still laugh about her wrapping the hospital staff around her fingers with one little word! After she left the hospital, she only said it when my uncle came to do her Physical Therapy once a day.
After her mom passed away, I became her guardian. I won't lie and say it was easy but the smiles and laughs she gave me far outweighed everything else.
She loved music and loved for you to sing quietly to her. She loved to eat and her favorites were ice cream and chocolate milk. She also loved to go for rides in the car and her favorite place to go was the McDonald's drive through for a cup of ice cream. She had a rough life but was content to sit and play with Pa Pa's fingers for hours on end or open the door and watch it close hundreds of times repetitiously.
She got a kidney infection in late Apr, 2008 and had temp of 107. She went peacefully in her sleep surrounded by loving family members amidst laughter at some of her antics and tears for the loss of our "family angel." She was a blessing to me and I miss her dearly. She gave me so much more than I ever gave her. She taught me patience and true, unconditional love, and the peace of being content watching the beauty of the clouds floating by.
I know that now, she doesn't have to sit and watch the clouds go by - she is now running on the streets of gold and talking everybody's ears off. I also know that one day, I will get to walk with her and talk with her and listen to her sing in the angels' choir. I love you, Joybug!
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