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Nancy’s Story

Site created on November 7, 2021

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.

It has been a whirlwind of change for our once active, and independent mom, Nancy Bergeron. Because she was active and able, her children were not involved too much with her health care until September 2021. We've started a CaringBridge site to keep you up-to-date on her journey. At present, mom is living at Our Lady of Peace Residential Hospice in St. Paul, MN and this is the story of her journey so far. Mom had back pain in late August, made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor (as she had seen them for back problems in the past), and was treated. Over the months of Sept. and Oct., pain progressed and a scan showed a compression fracture of one of her vertebra. Pain meds, a custom-made brace, and then a soft brace, was prescribed, but neither provided comfort. Mid-October, subsquent radioactive scans showed concerning uptake in her back and rib bones, for further analysis. A trip to her primary physican to okay a home health aide was made while she recuperated, but pain did not abate.

On Oct. 21, a trip to Regions Hospital emergency room, and evaluations, revealed (shockingly) that she had stage 4 (metastatic) lung cancer "an embarassing type of cancer " she said (she quit smoking 35 years ago) - metastasized to her back bones/ribs She was admitted to Regions where it was determined her cancer could not be cured, but could be managed - a plan was created to control the pain, including 5 days of radiation treatment to the bones for pain relief (Oct. 27-Nov. 2), and other palliative care. Tests on a biopsy tests were being done to see if immunotherapies would work. Everything moved so fast.

Early at Regions, mom was coherent and verbal, combating her pain, and working with palliative care to control it, until a visit by a daughter on Nov. 3 revealed that she was non-verbal and uncommunicative. A subsequent CT scan revealed that she had had a stroke (which affected her language center, and right side), and possibly earlier strokes while at the hospital (she had a previous stroke in 2017). Mom presents as pain-free.

At this point, hospital 'comfort and care' was recommended with transfer to a long-term care facility, and hospice.. By the hands of God, mom was accepted and transferred to Our Lady of Peace, St. Paul, MN in their residential hospice program. Mom is non-verbal, but can react with her facial expressions, and hand squeezes (mainly, left side). Visitors can read to her (various books around), share their memories, talk about their daily lives, and sign the "guest book". Also feel free to share your memories or visits on this Caring Bridge page.

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Newest Update

Journal entry by Cheri Howe — Nov 13, 2021

Dear friends and family -

It is with sad news to share, that our mom, Nancy Bergeron, passed peacefully into the loving arms of God this evening. We want to thank you for the friendship and love that you shared, through visits, cards and connections to her family. We thank Our Lady of Peace for the loving care they provided during her stay in hospice, and know that mom's wishes of a stay in hospice, and a joyous reunion with her beloved husband, Bill, was fulfilled

A short notice will appear in the Pioneer Press next Sunday; a celebration of life is being planned for next spring.

Sincerely, her children
Cheri Howe, Don Moe, Pam Mills, and Linda Farnell

Read More of the journal titled "November 13, 2021"

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