The day the world became a little less shiny.
On October 28, my former boss (from the Pizza store) and dear friend went to a local hospital (they have a billboard on 295 S that says their child birthing center is a 5-star one... ha!) for her very early morning c-section. That morning, I went to school. I actually made it on time to not only Phillips' class, but I had enough time to actually go home and get this laptop and go back to Kent campus for my afternoon math class. I was so excited that "today" Tara would be having another bustling bubbly baby boy. After school I went to the dollar store off of Wilson and Blanding. I wanted to pick up a balloon and a congratulations card for her and her sister, Lacey (who had her baby girl the previous Sunday, Oct. 26) as well as the cutest little pillow that you hang on the door? It has a picture slot for you to put the baby's picture in. Anyways, after my brief trip to get these said items, I rush home around 5pm to fetch Michael and then drive with him to OP Medical. We go upstairs to the OBGYN, post surgery MOMMY ward. The nurses up there tell us Tara isn't up here. The told us to go down the elevator and look to the left where duh, we would see all of her family. I wish the nurse had just been straight with us and told us that Tara had been transported to ICU.
Mike and I went down there and I didn't really understand why the whole family was conglomerated (right word? dunno) around the ICU doctors entrace. Finally, Wynonna -- Tara's step mother came over and explained the situation to us. It was absolutely heartwrenching.
From what I was told, Tara had come in to the ER the Sunday night before her scheduled c-section complaining of abdomen pains. They admitted her and later told her that they were just "pre-labor pains". And told her to go home and get some rest. She came in had her c-section that tuesday -- when it was scheduled -- they thought it had gone well, but three hours after the c-section, while she was holding and nursing the baby, she had someone take the baby from her and told her she felt light headed and weak. At the time, she was on the phone with her sister and had to be rushed to ICU because she had blood clots.
As it turns out, there was another girl in the ICU that got a botched c-section as well. She was in a coma -- just as Tara later was. This girl however, started bleeding out of her stitches because apparently the doctos hadn't fixed her up right inside and forgot to close something.. oops on their part..
Anyways, the night of Tuesday Oct. 28, Tara coded four times, once while Mike and I were at the Hospital and then once the next morning. The hospital NEVER took out the paddles and use the crash cart on her. They only did compressions. The first time she coded, it took the doctors/nurses in ICU 45 minutes! to revive her. She was on life support and dialysis until Oct. 30.. until around 5p, maybe. The doctors did an EEG portable screen on Tara's brain and told us that she didn't have any brain function/waves. We were all heartbroken. It felt like all the praying we did for her to come out of her coma and to survive this tragic catastrophe didn't do a wink bit of good. Shannon, her husband, was an absolute mess. On Oct. 30, her mother, Beverly, her dad Tim and Shannon decided to turn the machines off. Before they did so, they allowed groups of 2 or three at a time into her room to say their goodbyes.
I was there that day. I had skipped all of my Thursday classes to be with her and her family. I had even gone in to say good bye to her before the family let her go. The woman in the hospital bed didn't look anything like our beloved Tara. This womans eyes were sealed shut, her skin was bloated and had turned a bluish purple in the hands and the feet. She was bloated because the doctors were pumping fluids into her to keep her alive. But like everything that goes in, it has to come out. And well, they pumped TOO much fluid into her and has a result she ended up retaining about 100 lbs. of that fluid.
Her funeral was two weeks ago, Wed. Mike and I didn't get there at the time we would have liked to. We didn't get their late either. I just wish I could have gotten a seat closer to the family to help console them. Unfortunately, by the time we had gotten there -- with ten mins. to spare -- there was only standing room. The family didn't expect this sort of turn out at the services. But Tara was well-loved in her community, in her business and by everyone in general. She took care of all of us. She was the glue that brought everyone together and held them safely together.
There hasn't been a moment or a day gone by that I haven't constantly thought about her. How I regret never telling her how grateful I was to have someone like her in my life. I have three older sisters -- none of whom I am at all close with.. they all have their own families and lives and want little to do with me -- yet Tara felt more to me like a sister that I never knew I had. The day she died, at the services even, I felt like I had lost one of my sisters. Since she has been gone, I've done my best to lie to myself about where she is. Even though, I know WHERE she is buried. I'd rather think that she is on vacation than elsewhere. Even though she isn't a phone call away -- that's perhaps the hardest part. Or even that she won't be checking her silly, MySpace anymore and leaving us crazy comments. I'm going to miss her wisdom and how she always seemed to keep everyone on the right path. How she always had the best advice when it came to fashion, dates, boyfriends, relationships and in general. The last time I saw her alive was when I went over to see them -- Shannon, Tara and Dylan -- for Dylan's birthday. I had worked at Publix that night and after work I decided to bring Dylan a choclate glazed cake. He had turned two a week before this whole tragedy happened. He was so attached to Tara. Everywhere she went he tried to go too.
Ever since Tara's been gone, I've been sleeping less to hardly at all. When I actually do fall asleep I generally want to stay there forever. I guess you could say, I've been depressed slightly since her death. I don't really get pleasure out of the things that I used to.. shopping for one. I still love to shop but the least little thing that could possibly remind me of Tara makes me sad.
Her guest book can be found here. So many people that loved her have shared their favorite memories. And hopefully her memory lives on in her children, two year old Dylan, baby Chad and ten year old Bradley.
Rest in Peace, Tara. You are loved and will never be forgotten.
Tara C, 27, passed away on October 30, 2008. She was born and resided in Orange Park, FL, was the owner of Canalli's Pizza and a member of Celebration Church. She is survived by her husband, Shannon; 3 sons: Bradley, Dylan & and Logan "Chad"; biological parents: Timothy Beverly; step-parents: Robert and Wynona ; grandparents: Conrad and Myrna, Joan and Andy; brothers: Chris and Andrew; sisters: Lacey and Brandi; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.
The night that Tara's soul ascended to heaven, a star fell from the sky. She will later be reborn again and will someday walk beside us. Fore, we will not know when this will be but just as everyone has somehow touched her heart, she will forever live on in ours.
Mike and I went down there and I didn't really understand why the whole family was conglomerated (right word? dunno) around the ICU doctors entrace. Finally, Wynonna -- Tara's step mother came over and explained the situation to us. It was absolutely heartwrenching.
From what I was told, Tara had come in to the ER the Sunday night before her scheduled c-section complaining of abdomen pains. They admitted her and later told her that they were just "pre-labor pains". And told her to go home and get some rest. She came in had her c-section that tuesday -- when it was scheduled -- they thought it had gone well, but three hours after the c-section, while she was holding and nursing the baby, she had someone take the baby from her and told her she felt light headed and weak. At the time, she was on the phone with her sister and had to be rushed to ICU because she had blood clots.
As it turns out, there was another girl in the ICU that got a botched c-section as well. She was in a coma -- just as Tara later was. This girl however, started bleeding out of her stitches because apparently the doctos hadn't fixed her up right inside and forgot to close something.. oops on their part..
Anyways, the night of Tuesday Oct. 28, Tara coded four times, once while Mike and I were at the Hospital and then once the next morning. The hospital NEVER took out the paddles and use the crash cart on her. They only did compressions. The first time she coded, it took the doctors/nurses in ICU 45 minutes! to revive her. She was on life support and dialysis until Oct. 30.. until around 5p, maybe. The doctors did an EEG portable screen on Tara's brain and told us that she didn't have any brain function/waves. We were all heartbroken. It felt like all the praying we did for her to come out of her coma and to survive this tragic catastrophe didn't do a wink bit of good. Shannon, her husband, was an absolute mess. On Oct. 30, her mother, Beverly, her dad Tim and Shannon decided to turn the machines off. Before they did so, they allowed groups of 2 or three at a time into her room to say their goodbyes.
I was there that day. I had skipped all of my Thursday classes to be with her and her family. I had even gone in to say good bye to her before the family let her go. The woman in the hospital bed didn't look anything like our beloved Tara. This womans eyes were sealed shut, her skin was bloated and had turned a bluish purple in the hands and the feet. She was bloated because the doctors were pumping fluids into her to keep her alive. But like everything that goes in, it has to come out. And well, they pumped TOO much fluid into her and has a result she ended up retaining about 100 lbs. of that fluid.
Her funeral was two weeks ago, Wed. Mike and I didn't get there at the time we would have liked to. We didn't get their late either. I just wish I could have gotten a seat closer to the family to help console them. Unfortunately, by the time we had gotten there -- with ten mins. to spare -- there was only standing room. The family didn't expect this sort of turn out at the services. But Tara was well-loved in her community, in her business and by everyone in general. She took care of all of us. She was the glue that brought everyone together and held them safely together.
There hasn't been a moment or a day gone by that I haven't constantly thought about her. How I regret never telling her how grateful I was to have someone like her in my life. I have three older sisters -- none of whom I am at all close with.. they all have their own families and lives and want little to do with me -- yet Tara felt more to me like a sister that I never knew I had. The day she died, at the services even, I felt like I had lost one of my sisters. Since she has been gone, I've done my best to lie to myself about where she is. Even though, I know WHERE she is buried. I'd rather think that she is on vacation than elsewhere. Even though she isn't a phone call away -- that's perhaps the hardest part. Or even that she won't be checking her silly, MySpace anymore and leaving us crazy comments. I'm going to miss her wisdom and how she always seemed to keep everyone on the right path. How she always had the best advice when it came to fashion, dates, boyfriends, relationships and in general. The last time I saw her alive was when I went over to see them -- Shannon, Tara and Dylan -- for Dylan's birthday. I had worked at Publix that night and after work I decided to bring Dylan a choclate glazed cake. He had turned two a week before this whole tragedy happened. He was so attached to Tara. Everywhere she went he tried to go too.
Ever since Tara's been gone, I've been sleeping less to hardly at all. When I actually do fall asleep I generally want to stay there forever. I guess you could say, I've been depressed slightly since her death. I don't really get pleasure out of the things that I used to.. shopping for one. I still love to shop but the least little thing that could possibly remind me of Tara makes me sad.
Her guest book can be found here. So many people that loved her have shared their favorite memories. And hopefully her memory lives on in her children, two year old Dylan, baby Chad and ten year old Bradley.
Rest in Peace, Tara. You are loved and will never be forgotten.
Tara C, 27, passed away on October 30, 2008. She was born and resided in Orange Park, FL, was the owner of Canalli's Pizza and a member of Celebration Church. She is survived by her husband, Shannon; 3 sons: Bradley, Dylan & and Logan "Chad"; biological parents: Timothy Beverly; step-parents: Robert and Wynona ; grandparents: Conrad and Myrna, Joan and Andy; brothers: Chris and Andrew; sisters: Lacey and Brandi; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.
The night that Tara's soul ascended to heaven, a star fell from the sky. She will later be reborn again and will someday walk beside us. Fore, we will not know when this will be but just as everyone has somehow touched her heart, she will forever live on in ours.