Mom was the best wife, mother, and grandmother you could imagine. I used to describe her as someone who was put on this earth to love others. This bled into everything she did from her career in nursing to later becoming a nanny for families she met with her outgoing and caring personality, to caring for her six grandchildren. She spent her time volunteering at the pregnancy center to help new moms and their sweet babies get on their feet. She loved being a mom and gramzie and loved her family above everything. She married her high school sweetheart in our dad and together they modeled to their four children what a true loving marriage looked like. She was the first to lend an ear to vent when you had a bad day, send a card to celebrate your successes, or bring you a meal when you’re down. She was an angel on earth and is now our angel in heaven and the world feels so much heavier with her gone. 

On December 5th, about one month after her symptoms started, mom was diagnosed with CJD. Our family was gutted and felt hopeless. We reached out to the foundation and they quickly sent us materials and guidance on what to do next. They helped give us direction when we were lost and helped us feel a little less alone with such a rare diagnosis. Mom wanted to help, so she chose to donate her brain for testing and research when she passed on February 1, which was also covered by the foundation. 
 

CJD is a horrible disease. Mom wasn't given a chance to fight and right now no one with this diagnosis does either. Our hope is that one day we will have treatments available to either cure this awful illness, or help turn it into a chronic and manageable condition so other families don't have to go through what my mom did. 
 

Thank you all so much for your love and support in memory of our mom.