Thursday, March 15, 2012

Susan Jean Brewer 7/30/1955 - 3/9/2012

The following is a copy/paste of an email that I sent out on Sunday, March 11th:


Hi all,

As many of you have heard by now we come to you with the sad news that Susan Brewer passed away on Friday morning. She went quietly and peacefully in the comfort of her own home. While we are obviously incredibly sad, we are comforted that her suffering is over and know that she is now watching over us from Heaven. Words cannot express the loss that we are all dealing with. She is truly one of those people who will never, ever be forgotten. Everyone who knew her had their lives enriched simply by being in her presence.

She will be laid to rest in a small gathering of immediate family on Monday (3/12). The public memorial service is tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 30th in Bellevue so please plan accordingly if you would like to attend. I will confirm the details with everyone as soon as we have them set in place. We are probably going to ask that you do not send flowers, and in lieu of flowers we will be identifying a charitable organization to which you can donate in Susan's name.

There is so much to say, yet words really can't do justice to the situation. What I can say is that my mom truly felt the power of all your prayer, love, and support and that's what helped her maintain the glowingly positive attitude and faith in God that she maintained since her brain cancer was first diagnosed in December 2010. It's been a very emotional 15-16 months as she bravely battled this crippling disease, but one of the blessings we have had throughout the whole thing is that we were given plenty of time and opportunity to properly say goodbye to her. We will forever cherish her memory and be thankful for God's gift of putting her in our lives.

With love,

Cory Brewer

PS - I'm sure I've missed many email addresses of Susan's loved ones, so please pass this message along as you see fit.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Susan Brewer Update 2/11/12

Greetings all, it has been a little while since we shared an update about Susan and we continue to appreciate all your inquiries, thoughts, prayers, kind words, and well wishes.

Not a whole lot has changed since our last update in December. For a while there leading up to Christmas, we weren't sure if she was going to make it to the holiday and we considered celebrating a week early...but things eventually did stabilize and have been about the same now for several weeks.

Susan is confined to bed and has lost most of her motor function. With that being said, her positive attitude about everything still remains. She is sleeping more and more as the days go by, but when she is awake she can still hold a decent conversation with whoever she is talking to and she still has a pretty good memory. Her appetite is also still pretty good most of the time and one of her favorite things to do request a random meal (such as Indian food or a Big Mac) and send one of us off to retrieve it for her. Throughout this whole ordeal she has remained relatively pain free and hasn't had any major issues with nausea or anything like that, which is a blessing. Despite her health and weakness, she has remained relatively peaceful.

Without her being able to take care of her normal tasks around the house and at work, things have gotten a little hectic. Cory, Kelsey, and Ashley have been splitting time at the house as their schedules will allow to help spell Craig and give him a break from running the household and his business. We are forever grateful to friends, neighbors, and family who have helped out immensely by devoting their time to assisting with Susan. Grandpa (Larry) and Grandma (Nancy) visit on a very regular basis, and Aunt Debbie is here faithfully almost every single day. Aunt Julie and her daughters have made multiple trips over from Spokane, and several neighbors have helped keep watch over Susan so that the rest of the family can get to work or just get a break from being at the house, which can be exhausting.

Craig has been able to find a part-time doctor to see his patients at the office and that's been a huge blessing so he can spend more time at home. Ashley (who lives on a miniature farm of her own) took the miniature horse, Paladin, home to live with her and he seems very happy out in their "pasture."

We still have an 11 year old grey Cockatiel named Gwenivere that we are trying to find a good new home for. As far as we know she is healthy and current with her shots, and she will come along with a nice big white antique cage for anyone who is interested. Please spread the word. We are not looking to sell the bird and make any money - we just want to make sure she is well cared for.

We received some excellent news recently as Kelsey's husband, Parker, found a job in Seattle which means they will be able to move back up from Portland. He starts in mid-February and Kelsey will follow shortly behind once she gets things sorted out with their house down there. This will lift a huge burden as Kelsey has been driving up nearly every weekend now for over a year to visit.

The only constant, it seems, in life is change. This period of transition has been an extremely difficult one, but we've not had to do it without help. We have leaned on Faith, family and friends to get us through and we appreciate your continued prayers and support.

You may continue to contact Cory at cory.brewer@comcast.net with any inquiries or visitation requests. One thing we would ask is that no more flowers are sent. Susan's vision is escaping her and we feel that the money would be better spent via a charitable donation in her name. Cards, however, are very much appreciated as reading the thoughts and messages from loved ones to Susan is something that we cherish very much.

Wishing you Peace,

The Brewers

Craig's Christmas Letter 12/19/11

Two Thousand Eleven has been trying, at times rewarding, progressively spirit-filled, and now a sobering time for our family. After successful surgery to remove a brain tumor last Christmas season, Susan underwent a seven week period of daily radiation therapy. In addition, she was put on a regular chemotherapy plan in both pill and IV form.

Our family had a wonderful time together on a Caribbean cruise in the spring. Cory & Jen, Ashley & Thomas, and Kelsey & Parker joined us for a memorable trip. Susan returned to office manager & receptionist duties most of spring, summer, and fall.

We also had a wonderful time visiting Minnesota and Wisconsin to see friends and Susan got to re-visit her childhood home.

This past month or so Susan has lost much of her motor function (blurry vision, weakness, fatigue, etc.) and a recent MRI has shown her cancer is spreading with no viable treatment options. Blessedly she retains her vibrant & glowing personality but is now bed confined. Her faith and her fighting spirit have been nothing short of amazing...serving as a true inspiration to all those whose lives she has touched.

The outpouring of prayers and support from friends and family has been a true blessing, and we really believe that has been a major factor in keeping Susan so positive and upbeat throughout the year.

Throughout this ordeal, we have grown in our walk in faith with God which is now fortifying us with peace and strength to cope with our sadness. With heavy hearts we are coming to terms with the fact that this will almost certainly be Susan’s last Christmas with us in body, but she will always be with us in spirit.

We are thankful for the perspective we have all gained throughout this process, and we are also thankful for the time we have had to spend together as a family. We are thankful that we have the opportunity to cherish however much time she has left, and we are comforted by the knowledge that she will one day be watching over us from above.

Wishing you all peace this Christmas.

Love, Craig and Susan Brewer