For whatever reason I have been unable to post on this site due to my pop up blocker I am thinking.

On June 18, 2009 Rachel gave birth to our son Rylin. Two days prior she learned that she had a brain tumor - Craniopharyngioma. Our neurosurgeon told us at a later appointment that he told us that he would hold off the sergery so that Rachel could "enjoy" our son. She was only given a 20% chance for a successful sergery.

On September 28, 2009 my wife had a craniotomy. The 8hr surgery went beautiful. In a few days time her vision was restored 100% and then some, her swelling from pregnancy and all of her weird allergies were gone. On October 8th we were discharged and got to go home and my wife was briefly reunited with our son. On the following Mon I rushed Rachel to the ER for problems breathing and a low temp. She was admitted to ICU where it was discovered that she had multiple blood clots and there was at least one in each lung. On Thursday October 15, 2009 the unthinkable happened and she died while I was holding her hand at 9:50pm. She went code blue at about 9:10pm and they did EVERYTHING in their power to save her after I begged and pleaded with them to continue trying. For about 5mins toward the end she did have a pulse but she just went to long with not enough oxygen.

This has been the hardest thing that I have EVER had to deal with in my whole life. Our son turned 4 months 3 days after her passing. I just wanted to give you all a update on what has been taking place in my life. Thankfully we had our family pics done just one week before the surgery.

Rambo has personally met her when we stopped by his place while visiting New Zealand in 2007.

R.I.P. Rachel Leanne Rendon 12-10-73 to 10-15-09

Dave & Rylin

That is terrible news, prayers sent.......

Dave this brought a tear to my eye. I am so sorry bro.
Treasure the miracle of your son always, because in him here there will always live apart of your dear Wife. Stay strong and know that time will heal your grief anger and suffering, and she would want you to go on with your life and provide for your son. Maybe there are some grief support groups,. That may help.

I'm very very sorry for your loss Dave.

-gsbadbmr

so sorry , dave -
trying EVERYTHING was all you could ask

my deepest condolences for you and your family...

Dave,i cant beleve you just said that,it is The saddest thing i've hurd in a long time,your such a nice guy aswell,i always thought about you often..wondering what you was up to..

i so feel for you right now..awful,just awful..i wont even waste my time saying we are all here for you,or you will get over it,you'll never get over it..what hurts you,hurts us..but i/all of us are feelin bad for you right now mate..

dave....please let me offer my condolences to you all....ive just read yor story to my wife to be.....we had a baby boy 4 weeks ago and reading your loss just reduced me to tears......im so sorry for you mate.....dave bush

That's sad to hear, DaveLC2.

Hope your family is staying strong through this hard time.

That is superterrible Davel!

You have my deepest regrets Dave.
My prayers and thoughts are with you and your son.
I am at a loss for words of this tragedy.
I'm so very sorry to hear of your loss.

Dave i am so sorry for what happened to your wife, stay strong, we are all praying for you and your family, you are a super nice guy, God will guide you.

i feel so bad for the poor guy,he has lost the biggest part of his life..awful

Thanks to all for the kind words. This has been pretty tough to deal with. This is something that I NEVER would've imagined happening. I thought I'd go first. Everywhere I look, hear, touch & smell brings back memories. There were MANY MANY good memories. Thankfully many of them have been documented on video for when Rylin gets older he can see and hear his mum. Here are a couple of photos that we had done by a friend's wife just one week before the surgery. Thank GOD we did this! I love you all!





Dave & Rylin

R.I.P. Rachel Leeanne Rendon 12/10/73-10/15/09

Dave, there's nothing I can say that will ease your pain and grief. Just know that my heart is hurting with yours. I am so sorry for the loss of your wife and soul mate and for the loss of your son's mother.

Hello DaveLC2 No word's can i say will ever change what is but i can say for what is now,A beautiful baby and a heart broken father.she's never really gone she is by your side dave making sure that you move foward through life's highway it is a journey that we all must take,some road's different than other's....your sadness has touched me deep...............Peace be with you Dave.

I am sorry for your loss. I wish you and your family peace.

What terrible news.
We feel with you.
Loosing a loved person is always awful.

Dave-

As painful as this is, understand the gift that you have been given- a son, is the enduring gift of the time you shared with your wife. The picture of the three of you together really touches the soul. She will always be with you, through him, and in your heart.

Nobody should have to face something as terrible as this. Our prayers are with you.

I really appreciate the warm words and prayers guys & gals. This holiday season has been a bit of a challenge but so far it has gone better than I expected it to.

Dave

wishing you heartfelt sympathy dave,
and best wishes always

So sorry for your loss Dave, that has to be the hardest thing a person could possibly have to deal with. Sometimes life is indeed unbelievably cruel. I hope and am sure that you and your son will make a life that your wife would be proud of. You are everything to him now.

I am so so sorry. Be strong. I am speechless.

No words can can ease your hurt from this terrible loss. We wish for you and your family whatever peace and serenity you may find in these times and I know you will find strength in your your son, friends and extended family.

im personally so very sorry for your loss.the loss of a close loved one can be unbareable.i lost my new born first daughter in 2002 age 9 days.and ive had to live with it for the last 7 years. dark, dark times.
my only advice is this:hold on to the good times you shared;the love you had and the love you always will have.treasure each and every memory,and bring that little one up to remember just how beautiful and loving mummy was.you have the work of 2 people now,and it woulnt be easy,but,given time,things will start to heal themselves.i know, ive been there and can tell you first hand.my girlfriend of 10 years also has cranial problems, and has had small tumours behind her retina, culminating in a massive operation that nearly resulted in me losing her.
please remember that we all on here wish you well, wether we know you personally or not, and i personally convey peace and love to you and your family.

Dave I,ve been thinking here for the last hour for something to say,
what can i say that hasn't been said.
So,so sorry to hear of this terrible news, my thoughts are with you. Alex

Dave,

That is just soo sad. I am going to take the liberty of saying that everyone here is honoured that you have shared this with us.

In the carribean we sometimes say someone has a 'friendly face'. There is a deeper meaning; the 'friendly face' is a reflection of your inner person (you don't necessarily need to know the person to have a sense of who they are; it's a spiritual thing). In those pictures I see friendly faces; a wonderful family unit. It's just so sad that this should happen to you.

Peace be with you.

Wow...

No words I can say can ease the pain and suffering. Only God can do that. But I can pray, and that I will do.

I thank God for your son, that your wifes legacy and spirt will live on in him. Peace unto you, love, comfort and blessings.

Freddie

I like this - gentle approach to the subject. Hope it helps.

"After the first death, there is no other," wrote Dylan Thomas. That doesn't mean the ones that come after won't break your heart, but it's the first that punches your soul's passport. Welcome, fellow human, to a different country than the one you woke up to this morning. The air's different here; so is the scenery. Your knees don't work so well; in fact, you may want to fall to them.

For a precious little while, you are allowed to be stunned into silence, or to shriek, or to talk-recounting stories of who he was, what she meant to you, and how it all came to an end. Tell those stories. Some people may try to enforce "The Rules," to wit: Enough of This Drama Is Enough. Ignore them. Besides, if you treat yourself gently and take the time you need, someday soon you'll hear the faint but steady voice of your own good sense. Play music you love, sit in the sunshine if you can find some, and if anyone offers you a hand, hold it. Let them feed the cat, too, because they want to be useful. If your good sense does not kick in on its own, help it along: scramble some eggs. It will feel strange at first. But if you pretend that scrambling eggs is normal, eventually it will become normal. Soon you can squeeze some orange juice, too.

For some of us the stay in this new country seems endless. But time passes, seasons change, and, truly, would those we grieve for want us to mope? Come with me, back into the world. We'll return to this land someday, all too soon, but in the meantime the garden needs weeding, the bills need paying. Your other loved ones need you. And you, my sweet friend, you could use a shampoo. -Larkin Warren

Dave
Man, I just discovered this news this evening, or I would have posted earlier. I have no words to tell you how sad this made me. You are in my thoughts this Christmas Night.

I told my Mom about the trip to CA a few years ago when we hooked up on that mad dash for boomers around the Bay Area in the EVO, and yes, how total strangers become friends through the site. You obviously have affected many lives here on S2G, and I know that we all share in your sorrow. I am glad that the holidays have gone better than expected.

But the sad fact is, bad things happen to good people. Yet, somehow, you'll overcome this horrible event and find strength in your son.

If you get a chance, listen to a song by Guided By Voices: "Hold on Hope". It has become a theme for me over the last difficult year.
"Everybody gotta hold on hope it's the last thing that's holding me..."
Stay strong Dave. Peace be with you.
DD

So sorry, we must enjoy every minute of our lives, we dont know if tomorrow exists...

sorry for such a loss to you.keep your head up bro.

Thanks man. I just finished up moving into my new place which is less than 3 miles away from my mom's as opposed to 30 miles. My mom and step dad are watching my son while I work. All I have to say is moving REALLY sucks. I feel like an old man now lol

Dave

You know i myself and im sure others get caught up in little things like boomboxs,other hobbys and sometimes we forget about the people in our lives that truly makes us happy.your story makes me very grateful to have the loved ones i do have and start to spend more time with them.thank you dave for shareing such a heart breaking thing in your life.

My sentiments exactly. You have to take the time to live and love with your family while we are here on earth. I'm remainded by your posts how precious a thing that time really is..hope everything is getting a little better.

Ken