One Year ago...

I can't believe it's been one year.  It hardly seems possible.  We miss Nick everyday and we always will.This day is too hard to even write about.




It's impossible to believe even after one whole year that Nick is gone and really never coming back.




We couldn't have survived this year without all of the love and support from our close friends and especially from the O'Connell family. 

 Thank you John and ozzie for coming to visit and for feeding us and cheering us and letting Nick know he was never alone in the journey.  And John for making Christmas happen last year with a tree and gifts for all.  We will never forget what you both did for our whole family, as well as your brother.

Thank you Jenny for making Thanksgiving bearable, by radiating your joy into our lives.

Thank you Peter and Adele for cooking and hugging and massages and gifts and advice and....everything!

Thanks Nancy and Vinny for sharing your time and for the winning pool cue!

Nick loved his friends and your visits did more than cheer him- they gave him the will to fight.  He didn't want to leave any of you.

Camp and the brothers- Nick loved nothing more.  This smile says it all.

Clan O'Connell-words can't express our love and gratitude for this great, great family.
Rare and beautiful love.

Today was endurable because of all the support we have.  I was thinking about this time last year every hour and remembering what we were doing every second of Nick's last day.  Remembering when Peter left, how scared I was. I called my friend and asked her to come.  Please come is all I could get out and she did.  Linda Mack was here with us for 24 hours.  She was amazing and we couldn't have made it through the day without her.  I still don't know how she kept us all going.  Hospice came, but they didn't stay.  They came and evaluated, ordered pain medication that was delivered at the door and then they were gone.  It was too much for us and just so frightening.  Thomas came and stayed as long as he could also.  What would we all do without friends and family? 

We love you very much and thanks for the outpouring of love today.

XOXO,

..short clip of Nick being a great Dad-fishing with the boys in Idaho in 2008

Kimberley and Matthew and Christian and Lucas O'Connell