“October” by Eric Whitacre

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

.
“Fall” in Texas doesn’t really start until mid-October most years.  Today, we’ve got a blustery wind blowing in, and the leaves are starting to swirl around.  The temperatures are getting nippy (for Texas), and the dogs want to be outside longer as the days get shorter.

I love this time of year.  Apparently musicians both classical and contemporary do, too – here is the hauntingly beautiful “October“, composed by Eric Whitacre.  Originally written for a wind orchestra, it translates beautifully to a string arrangement:

.
“October” (wind orchestral arrangement) is only available in the MP3 format.
(Mr. Whitacre has an amazing body of work)
.

Posted in Annual Posts, Classical, Just Because, Music, Texas | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Michelle Elise Koch – Beloved Daughter

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Our beautiful girl

FORT WORTH – Michelle Elise Koch passed away Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017 in Bryan, Texas. Michelle was 26.

Memorial Service: A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Marty Leonard Community Chapel, 3131 Sanguinet Street. Family and friends will gather from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday in the Great Room at Robertson Mueller Harper, 1508 Eighth Avenue.

Memorials: Green Oaks School in Arlington, Texas

Born in Fort Worth on Aug. 16, 1991, Michelle was the beloved daughter of Paul and Teresa Hamilton Koch. She attended Daggett Montessori Elementary and Junior High schools before graduating from R. L. Paschal High School in 2009. She attended Texas A&M University, majoring in Zoology. She hoped to become a Herpetologist.

Michelle was always the imp. When it came to all of God’s creatures, she was a softie for almost all of them. When she was 5 or 6, she saw an episode of “Animal Hospital” and told her family that she had to “give a tear” when she saw a puppy with a fish hook caught in its throat.

Most kids have puppies or kittens – Michelle was into all kinds of creepy, crawly, slimy things. While her sisters played with dolls and tea sets, Michelle was always outside looking for critters.

Michelle had a passion for lizards and snakes, and her knowledge of both was amazing – if anyone found one that they didn’t recognize, they would take it to Michelle, and she could almost always identify it. If she didn’t know what it was, she would take a picture of it and search her books and the internet until she found out what it was.

In her spare time, Michelle’s hobby was drawing. Her talent for drawing first revealed itself in the fourth grade when she drew a large segmented dragon for her class’s end-of-year program. As the years went on, she continued to draw, as well as to fashion elaborate creatures out of duct tape. In high school and beyond, she astounded everyone with her talent for intricate pointillist drawings made entirely out of dots on a page.

Over the years, Michelle grew from a little girl into a confident woman who was working hard to find her way in the world. She was a truly remarkable young woman who wasn’t afraid to stand for the courage of her convictions, even when faced with overwhelming opposition.

Michelle was loved by everyone who knew her. She had a gentle soul, and she cared for everyone she met. Her capacity for compassion was overwhelming. In her short time here on Earth, she touched innumerable lives, and she went on touching lives after her death through the donation of her tissues.

Her death leaves a huge void in our lives which can never be filled. We will miss her so very much, but we take solace in knowing that a part of her lives on not only in the lives of those who will receive her tissues, but also in the memories of all those whose lives she touched in even the tiniest of ways.

Survivors: In addition to her parents, Michelle is survived by her older sister, Rachel Koch Syska and her husband, Matt, of San Francisco, Calif., and her younger sisters Sarah Koch and Rebecca Koch, both of Fort Worth; grandparents, Mary Gazaway Koch of Brackettville and Lowell and Dorothy Carroll Hamilton of Brevard, N.C.; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Posted in Annual Posts, Family, Feelin' Sorry for Myself | 5 Comments

A Somber Remembrance – Thoughts on the Anniversary of 9/11

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

I suppose every generation has its share of “Where were you when….?” moments – those “somethings” that happen that are so big, so life-altering, and which affect so many people that the vast majority of them have a memory etched into their mind of where they were when they heard the news, how they felt when they heard the news, and how it changed their life forever.

I can still remember that morning – it started off like any other morning. Rachel had gotten up early and was already dressed and on her way to high school with her friends, Michelle and Sarah were getting ready for school, and Paul was getting ready for work. I was resting in bed, waiting for Rebecca – who had turned 2 months old the day before – to wake up for her morning bottle.

Paul came into the bedroom and said he had just heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and it was on fire.

Continue reading →

Posted in Annual Posts, I Love America, Think about it | Tagged , | Leave a comment

For Bev – “Again Someday”

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

(l to r) Bev and Me, 1964

(l to r) Me and Bev, 2004

.
Today would have been my little sister’s 55th birthday.
Miss you like heck, Sis….
.

(“Again Someday” by Blackmore’s Night – available on CD or MP3)

Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Family, Feelin' Sorry for Myself, Growing Old Sucks, Music, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Michelle Update #4

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Thanks, everyone, for everything. We are doing fine for now – we spent yesterday evening reminiscing and laughing over Michelle stories. It was very cathartic.

On the organ donation subject: Michelle had 3 organs which were usable for donation – her liver and both of her kidneys – and there were recipients waiting for each of them. She was so tiny that her pancreas couldn’t be used, her heart was too damaged, and she had been on the vent too long to use either her lungs or her intestines.

There are many different ways for things to make organ donation a no-go. Different hospitals have different protocols for “time” – once the ventilator is removed, there is a time limit for how long the donor can be off the ventilator before it is too late to make a live donation due to circulation issues.

Some hospitals have a 60-minute window, others have a 90-minute window. The hospital where Michelle was has a 60-minute window policy, but the donor organization is trying to get the hospital’s policy changed to a 90-minute window.

We were able to be in the OR after Michelle’s ventilator was removed. After 60 minutes, Michelle’s heartbeat had only moved from 126 bpm to 116 bpm, and her oxygen level had moved from 100% to 95%.

We left the OR very saddened and disappointed. We went back to the surgery waiting room while the OR staff got Michelle ready to go back to her room, where she would be allowed to pass away. We figured we would have time, so we went to eat in the hospital cafe.

A few minutes later, one of the nurses from the OR came and found us. Apparently while they were preparing Michelle to move back to a room, she quit breathing.

Twelve minutes after the 60-minute window had closed.

If the hospital had a 90-minute policy, Michelle’s organs would have been harvested for transplantation, and tonight three families would have renewed hope for their loved one’s future.

She will still be a tissue donor – apparently over 200 people can be helped by all of the different tissues that can be harvested from a single donor.

And we told the Donor Coordinator that we would be more than happy to write a letter to the hospital’s Medical Review Board telling them Michelle’s story.

As Rachel remarked, perhaps Michelle’s case – and others like hers – will convince the board to change their 60-minute policy to a 90-minute policy.

And in the long run, perhaps Michelle could end up saving an infinitely larger number of people.

That thought brings us much hope.

(Facebook link: https://tinyurl.com/ybb8movc)

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Michelle Update #3

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Michelle is being removed from life support sometime today.
Please pray that God’s will be done – this is now out of our hands.
Hopefully His will is that Michelle’s death can bring the hope of life to many others.

Our entire family would like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers throughout this difficult journey – each and every one of you has helped us more than you will ever know.

(Facebook link: https://tinyurl.com/y8t33a2x)

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

Michelle Update #2

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Michelle is still “overbreathing” the ventilator, but her numbers are going down. We have signed the paperwork to start the organ donation process; it will be several more hours before they do anything else. Right now they are looking for matches – the people in the most need of her organs. In addition to her lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, and intestines (we have to wait to know if they can take her heart), they can now extract bone marrow and the uterus in addition to all of the tissue.

It would be wonderful if Michelle’s gift was somehow able to allow another young woman the chance to get pregnant. In the midst of all of this sorrow, to know that a completely new life might come into the world is a joyful thing, indeed.

Your continued thoughts and prayers have given us strength; you will never know what a lifeline they have been to our family at this sad and difficult time. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful souls surrounding us and holding us up with their love.

(Facebook link: https://tinyurl.com/y9xzuhgt)

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

Michelle Update #1

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

We were able to meet with the neurosurgeon last night, and he confirmed what we pretty much had already guessed – Michelle’s brain has been severely and irreversibly damaged.  Her Glasgow Coma Score yesterday was a 4 (and that was being generous) – the lowest score on that scale is a 3.  Fortunately, he thinks that she would be an excellent candidate for organ donation – we will be meeting with the transplant team in the next couple of days to see where we go from here.  It is a bittersweet blessing – Michelle will no longer be here, but hopefully she will be able to live on in others, and their families will not have to experience what we are now going through.

If anyone wants to come say goodbye to Michelle, she is in Room A7 at the CHI St Joseph Regional Medical Center in Bryan, Texas.  We had several visitors yesterday, and Paul said that it was much easier passing time with friends and family than sitting around feeling helpless.

We will be having a memorial service for Michelle when we get back to Fort Worth, so please don’t feel as if you have to travel all that way.

On a more personal note, I would like to thank everyone who left a message here yesterday.  Your love and kindness have been a true comfort to me and my family at this most difficult time.  We are humbled by the outpouring of love from so many of our friends and family – you will never know how much you have eased our pain.  We are truly grateful.  Thank you all so very, very much.

(Facebook link: https://tinyurl.com/y8uz4yfb)

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

Need prayers….

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Our family could really use your prayers right now – our daughter, Michelle, was taken last night to CHI St Joseph Hospital in Bryan, Texas. She is currently in the ICU on life support, and there is not going to be a good outcome. We are with her now, and will be here with her throughout this journey. Thank you so much.

(Facebook link: https://tinyurl.com/ya3znpy7)

Posted in Family | Leave a comment

Happy 25th Birthday, Sarah!

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

.
Twenty-five years ago today, a spirited whirlwind of a girl blew into our lives:

Watch out, world – this one is loaded for bear…..

….and we have never been the same.  Where has all that time gone?

God has a wicked sense of humor – ask any family that has more than two kids, and they will tell you that the third kid threw them for a loop.  Just when you think you have the whole “parenting” thing figured out – you’re thinking you know everything there is to know about raising kids – the third one comes along, and you realize that you don’t have the first CLUE…..

By the time Sarah came along, we had been parents for 6 years.  Poor Sarah got the “leftovers” – we were a lot calmer about things, but we were also just plain tired.  Rachel was starting kindergarten and Michelle was only a year old, so Sarah got whatever energy we could muster up at the end of the day.

Continue reading →

Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Family, Messin' with my kids, Music, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments