[Magdalen] 2014

[Georgia DuBose]

God bless both of you, Jim.

Georgia+

On Wed, Dec 31, 2014 at 8:14 PM, James Handsfield
<jhandsfield at icloud.com> wrote:
> As we bid farewell to 2014, I have a few observations of the year.
>
> I’m grateful that Marcy is still with me.  Dealing with her illness has been trying, but as I look back there have been some wonderful moments as well.
>
> 1. We had a wonderful trip to Key West in March.  We took two days to drive down and back, stopping in Orlando both times.  Key West is a community that is delightful - street performers in Mallory Square, President Truman’s Little White House, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.  Interesting restaurants.  One of the interesting things is it seems that most hospitality establishments seem to have become an industry home for Russian immigrants.  They did a wonderful job.
>
> 2. We started having home care aids come in.  In a way, that’s something neither Marcy nor I wants, but they are here to help me (and in many ways keep me sane).  We’ve been through several, but it looks like we’ve finally found some that like us and we like them, so we hope that will make for a better 2015.
>
> 3. In September I took a respite trip to Hawaii as a guest of my brother, Hunter Handsfield and sister-in-law Patricia McInturff.  It was a good trip for me (but not really long enough).  I was able to gain some perspective and make some decisions. That part worked well.  OTOH, it was not a good time for Marcy and our first home care aid.  Marcy’s sister turned out to not have the self confidence to do what I know she could have done, so Marcy ended up most nights starting sleep in bed, but when she had to get up to use the bathroom, she’d spend the rest of the night in her lift chair.  Granted her lift chair is very comfortable (I have an identical one and have slept in it several times), but it was disappointing.
>
> 4. We started out the year thinking Marcy might not survive the year because of her respiratory capacity.  It turned out to not be the case, TBTG.  That doesn’t mean there haven’t been issues.  Over all, Marcy is weaker almost day by day, and needs assistance with most of her daily routine.  She takes all of her medications and most of her hydration through a G-tube.  But a couple months ago, she agreed to see a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with depression disorder and offered her a prescription for Prozac.  A few days later, Marcy accepted it, and the difference has been night and day.  Where before she was getting upset over little things, now she still gets upset but only when it’s appropriate.  Her personality is more like she was when I fell in love with her - playful, caring, and a little more self sacrificing (going back to bed so I can have some alone time at breakfast, for example).
>
> 5. A couple weeks ago, we had an inaugural appointment/meeting with the Palliative Care team at Kaiser Permanente Georgia.  It was a good session with a physician, an RN, an LCSW, and a chaplain.  A pharmacist is also a member of the team, but that person wasn’t present.  This is also the team that will oversee hospice care when the time comes.
>
> 6. Finally (for this email), is Matthew.  He graduated Cum Laude from Tulane University in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in History.  He immediately went to work (actually being paid!) for the Louisiana Democratic Party as the volunteer coordinator for Sen. Mary Landrieu’s reelection campaign.  She was not expected to carry Jefferson Parish where Matthew was assigned, but ended up gaining the plurality there, largely thanks to Matthew, and recognized by the state Democratic Party.  When Sen. Landrieu lost her bid for reelection, he was released.  He then successfully landed a short term job (with a significant pay increase) with Brass Tactics, a progressive political consulting company in DC.  He’s assisting people who are interested to sign up for ACA coverage during the open season in the Kansas City metro area (both MO and KS).
>
> It’s been an interesting year.  Let’s see what 2015 brings.  We’re celebrating Marcy’s 60th birthday with a dinner party at the Capital Grille in Dunwoody on her birthday.  There’s a good chance this birthday will be her last, so we’re doing it up big for both reasons.
>
> Happy New Year, everyone.
>
> “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
>
> Jim Handsfield
> jhandsfield at att.net
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