Nancy Witt

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family, church community, co-workers and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.  This story provides an overview and journal entries  provide an update on memorial services and a richer chronicle of the journey. 

Nancy has  completed her  journey with ALS.  Nancy had ALS but was not alone.  I was with her on this journey.  Our family, neighbors, friends and co-workers support Nancy and I in this journey.

Nancy's symptoms began in 2014. Nancy was diagnosed with ALS in July 2016.   Nancy died at 9:15 PM on Saturday 12/2/2017.  As she approaced death Nancy was surrounded by her husband Brian, her childred Sara and Joshua, family and friends.  Nancy was calm and comfortable.  Nancy was not afraid.  She was confident in a future in the light and Love of the resurection.   

From 2014 through the summer of 2017, Nancy has shifted from walking to walking with a cane to walking with walker to riding a scooter and now uses a power wheelchair.  Nancy has shifted from cooking almost all the meals to enjoying Brian's cooking to enjoying Brian's cooking and meals brought by neighbors and now to a mix of nutrition from a feeding tube and yummy snacks. 

As of  November 2017, Nancy
Uses a feeding tube for most of her nutrition and enjoys the taste and feel of a few snacks each day. 
Uses a bipap/vent for most of every night, during naps and for comfort when awake hours for perhaps 18 hours/day.  
Uses a power wheelchair for mobility in the house.
Nancy's speech is very low volume and most people do not understand her words.  Most communication is using assistance communication devices.

Through the journey.  
Nancy and Brian have been blessed with family, church, co-worker and community support. Family are visiting, feeding us and calling with loving messages. Our church community's motto is "We are his hands."  Indeed Nancy and are are seeing God's Love in the hands and actions of our family, friends and community. 

Our church community is spread geographically.  But the calls, encouragement and love are amazing.  Every call from Nancy's sister in the priesthood Mary Ellen brought a smile to Nancy's face.

Community support has been amazing.  It is way beyond the support we've heard we have heard described by any other Patients with ALS or Care provider support group.  Over time community support  has included visits, meals, loaner cars, rooms for guests, and assistance with shopping, dog-walking and transportation for family to/from the airport, creating an amazing flower garden and more.

Nancy and Brian's co-workers and customers were amazing.  Brian fully used family medical leave. Co-workers sent meals and messages of support.  Nancy has retired, but her co-instructors and students were engaged and supportive.  

Throught the ALS journey, Nancy's ambition was to lead and nurture the community to support those in need of support for any social or medical need.