Tc had a beautiful turnout at her visitation this evening.
Heartfelt appreciation to all of you.
The stories you shared,
The tears you shed,
The way you held us up, collectively…
We’ll never forget.
My heart dances tonight because Tc is free.
She is among all God’s children and like them,
She is whole again.
Tc never wanted much.
Not the sorts of things money could buy.
She was happy with the simple things life gave her;
Family, furry friends and fishing.
She has all that now,
And so much more.
She is in God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
Halleluiah.
We say our formal Goodbyes in a few short hours.
I hope I’m the first one through that door.
I thought I would be scared; scared of the pain.
But I’m not.
I am so happy for her.
Today we get to honor not only who Tc was,
But who she is in her new role…
Guardian Angel.
I hope all of your hearts are dancing.
We have a new Angel watching over us.
That is Tc’s true legacy…
She took care of people, she took care of animals, she took care of anyone in need.
My soul may be sad for a while.
But my heart is dancing.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Theresa (TC) Sachsenmaier Knedlik Leonard
Theresa Leonard, 48, passed away peacefully on November 25th, surrounded by her devoted family after a valiant four-year battle against breast cancer. Visitation will be on Thursday, November 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Bruce Funeral Home in Spring Hill, KS. Memorial Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday, November 30, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe. Inurnment will be at Spring Hill Cemetery, following the service.
TC was born on May 3, 1959, in Brooklyn, NY. She moved with her family to Thalwil, Switzerland, before spending her teenage years in Shawnee. After attending K-State, TC married Jim Knedlik, moved to Orange County, CA and started a family. With their second daughter on the way, they returned home to Overland Park. TC married Len Leonard in 1998, and they made their home in Spring Hill.
A successful website designer, TC’s true passion was www.KCPetConnect.com, a non-profit she founded in 2003 for the purpose of reuniting lost pets with their families. A true advocate for all dogs and cats, TC is once again frolicking with her furry friends--especially Billygoat, who lost his own battle with cancer last year.
Theresa is survived by her husband, Len Leonard; her daughters Kacee and Ashley; her grandson, Dakoda; her parents Dolores Duddy and Gene Sachsenmaier; her sisters Toby Sachsenmaier and Chrissy Baker with husband Mike; adored niece and nephew, Jordie and Nick Baker; and the father of her own beautiful children, Jim Knedlik.
TC’s family would like to recognize the incredible care and compassion given to her--always with respect and dignity--from her team at KU: Dr. Qamar Khan and Stephanie Rowlands; Dr. Mazin Al-Kasspoole and Dr. Allan Fleming: We salute you. Special thanks also to Dr. John Bernard, who always had TC’s back.
In lieu of flowers, Tax-deductible donations to the pet foundation she started, would please TC and can be made at www.kcpetconnect.com .
You fought the good fight, TC. Now it’s time to rest.
TC was born on May 3, 1959, in Brooklyn, NY. She moved with her family to Thalwil, Switzerland, before spending her teenage years in Shawnee. After attending K-State, TC married Jim Knedlik, moved to Orange County, CA and started a family. With their second daughter on the way, they returned home to Overland Park. TC married Len Leonard in 1998, and they made their home in Spring Hill.
A successful website designer, TC’s true passion was www.KCPetConnect.com, a non-profit she founded in 2003 for the purpose of reuniting lost pets with their families. A true advocate for all dogs and cats, TC is once again frolicking with her furry friends--especially Billygoat, who lost his own battle with cancer last year.
Theresa is survived by her husband, Len Leonard; her daughters Kacee and Ashley; her grandson, Dakoda; her parents Dolores Duddy and Gene Sachsenmaier; her sisters Toby Sachsenmaier and Chrissy Baker with husband Mike; adored niece and nephew, Jordie and Nick Baker; and the father of her own beautiful children, Jim Knedlik.
TC’s family would like to recognize the incredible care and compassion given to her--always with respect and dignity--from her team at KU: Dr. Qamar Khan and Stephanie Rowlands; Dr. Mazin Al-Kasspoole and Dr. Allan Fleming: We salute you. Special thanks also to Dr. John Bernard, who always had TC’s back.
In lieu of flowers, Tax-deductible donations to the pet foundation she started, would please TC and can be made at www.kcpetconnect.com .
You fought the good fight, TC. Now it’s time to rest.
Monday, November 26, 2007
She fought the good fight
And now she’s finally at peace.
TC passed away Sunday evening, a little past 11pm.
We were all with her, and together we encouraged her to let go.
Father Chris had come in time, he gave her last rites.
This is of great comfort to us.
I’m very sorry for those of you who had to hear it here first, and deserved a personal phone call.
We are doing the best we can.
Thank you for your prayers, they are carrying us.
Chris
TC passed away Sunday evening, a little past 11pm.
We were all with her, and together we encouraged her to let go.
Father Chris had come in time, he gave her last rites.
This is of great comfort to us.
I’m very sorry for those of you who had to hear it here first, and deserved a personal phone call.
We are doing the best we can.
Thank you for your prayers, they are carrying us.
Chris
Monday, November 19, 2007
Faithful or Foolish?
Today has been an unbelievable test of faith.
If I were not there as a witness, I might doubt this story.
But not only is it true, my words cannot possibly do justice to the awfulness of it.
Last night, TC’s family put the Christmas tree up and decorated the house for a holiday season which none of us a year ago, thought TC would be here to see.
It was a bittersweet evening.
Then the sky fell.
Literally.
Ashley and her boyfriend Clint, were in the living room watching the game.
A loud cracking sound quickly grabbed their attention.
They looked up at the ceiling and astonished, saw that it was moving.
Clint who is a big guy, jumped up and tried to literally hold it in place.
The force however was bigger than he, and as he yelled for Ashley to run, the ceiling collapsed behind them, followed by 18 inches of blown insulation.
Not just one piece of drywall…the entire ceiling came down in the living room, entryway and hall.
It was a domino effect.
I can’t begin to explain in this small space, the raw emotions running through us right now.
Yes…we should be grateful no one was hurt.
Yes…we should be grateful it wasn’t worse.
Yes…we should be grateful…
Grateful, grateful, grateful….
But…
We had to move TC out of her home today; it is uninhabitable for her in this condition.
We worked like dogs today to get the debris cleaned up before we can even think about repairs.
We (I) bit my lip, and avoided going ballistic on the insurance agent, who stood there and told me that TC’s house was “built wrong” 26 years ago, they didn’t use “dry wall” nails and they will not cover any loss, including the floors which are a total loss.
"Grateful" is not high on my list of vocabulary words right now.
Shorter, one syllable words, most with just 4 letters, are.
I don’t want to be bitter.
I don’t want to question my faith.
But blind faith doesn’t come easy to me.
I fight for what I do have.
What I get in return…
It calms me when I see evil.
Without it, I feel empty and alone.
Faith carries me, when I don’t think I can go any further.
But tonight I find myself questioning…
Faith?
Or fool.
My hope is that tomorrow when I wake, it will all become clear.
It’s just a ceiling.
A mess.
Another kick in the gut when we’re already down.
But nothing more.
Our friends have generously offered to help us.
We are learning to push aside our pride and accept.
I have faith in our friends.
That kind of faith has never been in question.
As for the other, it will come back.
Somehow, it always does.
If I were not there as a witness, I might doubt this story.
But not only is it true, my words cannot possibly do justice to the awfulness of it.
Last night, TC’s family put the Christmas tree up and decorated the house for a holiday season which none of us a year ago, thought TC would be here to see.
It was a bittersweet evening.
Then the sky fell.
Literally.
Ashley and her boyfriend Clint, were in the living room watching the game.
A loud cracking sound quickly grabbed their attention.
They looked up at the ceiling and astonished, saw that it was moving.
Clint who is a big guy, jumped up and tried to literally hold it in place.
The force however was bigger than he, and as he yelled for Ashley to run, the ceiling collapsed behind them, followed by 18 inches of blown insulation.
Not just one piece of drywall…the entire ceiling came down in the living room, entryway and hall.
It was a domino effect.
I can’t begin to explain in this small space, the raw emotions running through us right now.
Yes…we should be grateful no one was hurt.
Yes…we should be grateful it wasn’t worse.
Yes…we should be grateful…
Grateful, grateful, grateful….
But…
We had to move TC out of her home today; it is uninhabitable for her in this condition.
We worked like dogs today to get the debris cleaned up before we can even think about repairs.
We (I) bit my lip, and avoided going ballistic on the insurance agent, who stood there and told me that TC’s house was “built wrong” 26 years ago, they didn’t use “dry wall” nails and they will not cover any loss, including the floors which are a total loss.
"Grateful" is not high on my list of vocabulary words right now.
Shorter, one syllable words, most with just 4 letters, are.
I don’t want to be bitter.
I don’t want to question my faith.
But blind faith doesn’t come easy to me.
I fight for what I do have.
What I get in return…
It calms me when I see evil.
Without it, I feel empty and alone.
Faith carries me, when I don’t think I can go any further.
But tonight I find myself questioning…
Faith?
Or fool.
My hope is that tomorrow when I wake, it will all become clear.
It’s just a ceiling.
A mess.
Another kick in the gut when we’re already down.
But nothing more.
Our friends have generously offered to help us.
We are learning to push aside our pride and accept.
I have faith in our friends.
That kind of faith has never been in question.
As for the other, it will come back.
Somehow, it always does.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Manic Monday
Friday was a bust.
Sort of.
It was another one of those “good news/bad news days”.
Our roller coaster ride continues.
Today we’re high again.
Sort of.
The “Endo” doc found the blockage in her drainage tube Friday; that’s the good news.
The bad is that they only put TC under general anesthesia; it was too painful of a procedure to continue so they had to abort.
This morning she is back at KU where they will put her out completely, go back in and adjust the tube.
Typically, doctors do not like to do another surgical procedure within 60 days of the first one, but they have no choice.
We are not overly concerned about the procedure itself, just the additional discomfort TC will endure because of it.
She just can’t seem to catch a break.
Back to the good news …her quality of life will improve greatly once it’s done, and another few days or so of discomfort will have been worth it.
(Easy for me to say!)
Sort of.
It was another one of those “good news/bad news days”.
Our roller coaster ride continues.
Today we’re high again.
Sort of.
The “Endo” doc found the blockage in her drainage tube Friday; that’s the good news.
The bad is that they only put TC under general anesthesia; it was too painful of a procedure to continue so they had to abort.
This morning she is back at KU where they will put her out completely, go back in and adjust the tube.
Typically, doctors do not like to do another surgical procedure within 60 days of the first one, but they have no choice.
We are not overly concerned about the procedure itself, just the additional discomfort TC will endure because of it.
She just can’t seem to catch a break.
Back to the good news …her quality of life will improve greatly once it’s done, and another few days or so of discomfort will have been worth it.
(Easy for me to say!)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A Get Well Card from God
TC is struggling.
On a scale of 1 to 10, her “misery” is a 7 and climbing.
Thankfully her pain for the most part is being managed for now; it’s her quality of life that sucks so badly.
I sat on her bed today, having gathered up what strength I could muster before going in.
It’s important to have your game face on.
Although it was always she who held us up, the tides have clearly turned.
She cannot take much more.
She shouldn’t have to.
Tomorrow she goes back to the surgeon again.
I was wrong about him; he is an exceptional, caring person.
I think he may have put his guard down a little bit with TC; he has a definite soft spot for her.
He and his partner went above and beyond what could possibly be deemed as ordinary care on an emergency visit yesterday. They worked on her for over 3 hours, brought a “scope guy” into the equation, and (hopefully) figured out a way to improve her quality of life with a somewhat tricky procedure tomorrow back at KU.
There is a lot riding on tomorrow.
A lot.
During our visit today we cried.
I try really hard not to cry in front of her.
I want to be brave.
I don’t want her to know how scared I am.
But we’re running out of time.
And I am scared.
I am still her little sister.
And damnit, I shouldn’t have to be brave.
She was always the brave one.
Always.
Crying is good for the soul.
I know, because I cried all the way home.
And while I was crying, a new little miracle was happening in the bed I left just moments ago.
It seems a “lost” Bassett Hound found its way to TC’s house right after I left.
That in and of itself, for anyone who knows TC’s passion for lost animals, has got to be divine intervention.
But wait…it gets better.
Len, recognizing the moment for what it was…an opportunity to bring a little joy into TC’s day, let the dog in.
He went right to my sister and managed to get up in her bed.
My family has a special affection for Bassett Hounds; we grew up with “Rigby” a neighborhood favorite/nuisance, depending on your tolerance for animals. Needless to say, he was a favorite of ours.
Buddy, according to TC, rolled right over and with all four paws up in the air, commenced to enjoy his belly-rubbing.
He was polite, didn’t shake the bed too much and smelled good too.
He had on a collar and tag; his owner was called.
When they showed up to get him, there was even better juju to be had.
Lo and behold, they are both nurses at KU hospital!
Does it get any more full circle than that?
Buddy had crossed a busy road and they were so grateful that TC offered him a safe place. (A bit of an understatement there!)
Recognizing how much his visit meant to her, they offered to bring Buddy over to hang out with her whenever she would like.
AND…they are just down the road a bit, if she ever needs ANYTHING “nurse-wise”, they insisted she give them a call.
Good people continue to both bless us, and blow us away.
I just called TC to say goodnight; she was still happy from Buddy’s visit.
“God sent me a big ol’ Get Well card Chrissy" she said.
I don’t know that she’s going to get well...literally.
But I do believe Buddy was a sign.
And she will be well again.
But I will miss her terribly
On a scale of 1 to 10, her “misery” is a 7 and climbing.
Thankfully her pain for the most part is being managed for now; it’s her quality of life that sucks so badly.
I sat on her bed today, having gathered up what strength I could muster before going in.
It’s important to have your game face on.
Although it was always she who held us up, the tides have clearly turned.
She cannot take much more.
She shouldn’t have to.
Tomorrow she goes back to the surgeon again.
I was wrong about him; he is an exceptional, caring person.
I think he may have put his guard down a little bit with TC; he has a definite soft spot for her.
He and his partner went above and beyond what could possibly be deemed as ordinary care on an emergency visit yesterday. They worked on her for over 3 hours, brought a “scope guy” into the equation, and (hopefully) figured out a way to improve her quality of life with a somewhat tricky procedure tomorrow back at KU.
There is a lot riding on tomorrow.
A lot.
During our visit today we cried.
I try really hard not to cry in front of her.
I want to be brave.
I don’t want her to know how scared I am.
But we’re running out of time.
And I am scared.
I am still her little sister.
And damnit, I shouldn’t have to be brave.
She was always the brave one.
Always.
Crying is good for the soul.
I know, because I cried all the way home.
And while I was crying, a new little miracle was happening in the bed I left just moments ago.
It seems a “lost” Bassett Hound found its way to TC’s house right after I left.
That in and of itself, for anyone who knows TC’s passion for lost animals, has got to be divine intervention.
But wait…it gets better.
Len, recognizing the moment for what it was…an opportunity to bring a little joy into TC’s day, let the dog in.
He went right to my sister and managed to get up in her bed.
My family has a special affection for Bassett Hounds; we grew up with “Rigby” a neighborhood favorite/nuisance, depending on your tolerance for animals. Needless to say, he was a favorite of ours.
Buddy, according to TC, rolled right over and with all four paws up in the air, commenced to enjoy his belly-rubbing.
He was polite, didn’t shake the bed too much and smelled good too.
He had on a collar and tag; his owner was called.
When they showed up to get him, there was even better juju to be had.
Lo and behold, they are both nurses at KU hospital!
Does it get any more full circle than that?
Buddy had crossed a busy road and they were so grateful that TC offered him a safe place. (A bit of an understatement there!)
Recognizing how much his visit meant to her, they offered to bring Buddy over to hang out with her whenever she would like.
AND…they are just down the road a bit, if she ever needs ANYTHING “nurse-wise”, they insisted she give them a call.
Good people continue to both bless us, and blow us away.
I just called TC to say goodnight; she was still happy from Buddy’s visit.
“God sent me a big ol’ Get Well card Chrissy" she said.
I don’t know that she’s going to get well...literally.
But I do believe Buddy was a sign.
And she will be well again.
But I will miss her terribly
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