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#What other people say about Veronika….Wednesday, January 5, 2011 #To google or not to google…Wednesday, January 12, 2011 #Tuesday, January 25, 2011 #Wednesday, January 26, 2011 #Friday, February 11, 2011 #Wednesday, February 16, 2011 #Sunday, February 20, 2011 #Thursday, February 24, 2011

Farewell my Beautiful Friend….

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  • 30 March, 2011

What other people say about Veronika….Wednesday, January 5, 2011

What other People Say About Veronika Last year I came across a resource called “What I’d Like You to Know About Me” or “About Me” for short. I was offered to opportunity to create one

  • 30 March, 2011

To google or not to google…Wednesday, January 12, 2011

To Google or not to Google…. To Google or not to Google?, That is the question…..Last October when we saw Veronika’s paediatrician, I asked if we could see a baby neurologist. I was shocked when

  • 30 March, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Stop yelling at me! Another busy couple of weeks have passed. We are back to the normal 4-5 Doctor and allied health appointments a week, so there is still never a dull moment in the

  • 30 March, 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Maybe some answers tomorrow!?!? Tomorrow we are off to see Veronikas occupational therapist early in the afternoon, then after that we are off to see the pediatrician. Maybe we might get some answers about the

  • 30 March, 2011

Answers or more questions?!?! We met with our Paediatrician the day after my last post. So much has happened since we last met with her 3 months ago. We had our trip to Melbourne for

  • 30 March, 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

My Little Climber….. Miss Veronika has learnt to climb! She climbed onto the couch all by herself in late January. I was and still am one very HAPPY Mummy. I have to admit it was

  • 30 March, 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Back to the normal routine….. Well our boys Jordan 8 and Jakob 6, have been back at school for 2 weeks, which means that Veronika and I have gotten back into the swing of the

  • 30 March, 2011

Sunday, February 20, 2011

My Little Project…. When your baby is 1 week old, and she has her 1st MRI and the results aren’t what you thought you would ever hear, let alone something you never want to hear……Veronika

  • 30 March, 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou….No really THANKYOU. Oh my goodness, What a week. What started our as my latest blog post, about my little project, to get Veronika a hydrotherapy spa, to give her every chance to

Yesterday we celebrated the life of one of Veronika’s greatest supporters….Karina passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last week. I know that one day in the future when Veronika Walks, Karina will be looking down clapping and cheering.

I had the privilege of sharing at her funeral….

In life there are people who you have been friends with for as long as you can remember, and then there are other people who you have known for a shorter time, but you feel like you have know them forever. For me Karina was one of those people.
I met Karina just over 3 years ago, while we were waiting for school to finish, we just started talking. Karina was pregnant with Charlie and I was with Veronika. I invited Karina to come to a mums group that I go to, for mothers of pre schoolers(MOPS). From there we became close friends, especially over the last year, after Mark and Karina moved to Brighton.
For the last year Karina was my hospital buddy. Amber had a bad winter, and often needed a trip to the emergency department. My Veronika was the same. Whenever Amber needed to go to hospital I would drive Karina and Amber in, and when Veronika needed to go, Karina would drive us in. Our girls are frequent flyers at the emergency department. Each trip would see us spend the usual 8-10 hours while Amber or Veronika were under observation. I guess that’s the really special times I shared with Karina, We always had something to talk about, we talked about our hopes and dreams for the future, as well as our fears. Karina was passionate about her family, faith, friends and life. Karina was never afraid to say what she was feeling. We would often joke the following day, about what the other people around us must of thought of our conversations. Our last trip was 2 days before Mark and Karina moved into their new home, just over a month ago. Karina thought she had broken her foot, so I took her to the hospital. At 2am when we were on our way home, we decided that there must be a better way to catch up without our kids.
Karina was so supportive of me and our family on our journey with Veronika. Karina was always there to listen to my concerns around Veronika’s disabilities. One of the most special things Karina was currently doing was learning the signs Veronika uses, so she could communicate with her.
Last week is one I will never forget. Monday I actually had half a day at home and Karina came over. Mark was unwell, and was at home resting and Charlie and Amber were asleep, so she called and came over for a couple of hours. Veronika was also asleep, so we actually got to have 2 hot coffees each over a lovely chat. We talked about many, many things as we weren’t distracted by our children…….this time is even more precious to me now. Karina was really loving life, she was settling into her new home with Mark, Rohan, Charlie and Amber. It was to be the last time I talked to her, just 2 days later Mark told me she had passed away during the night.
Mark I want you to know that I will help you to never let your Children forget their mother. As they grow up I will tell them how she loved them to the moon and back, how passionate she was about life, her family, her faith and her friends. How she spoke up for what she believed, even if no one else in the room agreed. What an amazing quality.
For now I miss my beautiful friend, but hold dear the memories of our friendship.
Rest In Peace, Karina. I love you…
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Comment (1)

  1. kelstokes

    05 May 2011

    Far out – really shouldn’t have read this while at work! You know how to make a girl cry. Such a beautiful speech you did an amazing job – there is no way I could have got up there and do that. She was such a special person and will be sorely missed. We love you Karina

    Reply

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