Thanks to The U

On behalf of JoAnne, I composed a letter to the Bone and Marrow Transplant Team at the University of Minnesota. Kathy was our nurse coordinator throughout the entire experience.

Hi Kathy,

I know all of you share in the sadness that comes with JoAnne's death. My life experiences have always been on the periphery of the provider side, so I can't fully understand how you balance performing your job with your patient relationships. What I can tell you is this. In the 14+ months since JoAnne and I showed up on the BMT Unit doorstep, our lives have been enriched beyond description by the compassion, care, empathy and of course, technical excellence that has been bestowed upon JoAnne. She and I would frequently ask each other how it was that we could spend so much time with so many people and never run across someone having a bad day or doing a poor job. Not once. Not ever.

JoAnne was disappointed that she could not pull this off. Of course she wanted to live. But there was also a part of her that viewed all of this as a team, or more appropriately, a family effort. With everyone pulling in the same direction, we would persevere. In some ways, she felt as though she was letting everyone down by not surviving. So much effort, so much time, so much energy, so much thought and collaboration, so many resources. She knows as do we all however, that she gave it everything she had. Even with that, it was not meant to be. 

A young woman with CLL is one who has simply been dealt a bad hand. With the gift of extraordinary medicine, JoAnne has survived since 1998. She watched our 4 children grow to young adulthood, graduate from college, marry and bring grandchildren to the family. In our lives together, we figured out that JoAnne was put on this earth to be a mom, wife and grandmother. While her life may have been cut short, there are no important life experiences of which she has been robbed; only more. Yes, we would have all liked more, but perfection is the enemy of the good. We are satisfied with a life well lived.

It has been a long haul. We have decided that now is a time to circle the wagons and stay small. JoAnne was cremated today and we will have a small family service soon. On July 14th, we will have a service and celebration of JoAnne's life at an as yet undetermined locale. If there are members of the team who would like to join us, we would welcome them with open arms. JoAnne persevered because she was a deep and abiding child of God. But she was also part Irish so we plan on making it an evening of celebration. 

I will send along details at a later date. My biggest challenge is to find a way to thank the dozens and dozens of members of JoAnne's care team. I don't want to even start naming names because I will miss people that are owed a hug and our sincere thanks. For now, I trust that you have a group email and proper judgment as to how to distribute my message. The more people this reaches that cared for JoAnne, the more satisfied JoJo's family and I will feel.

As time passes, I am sure our paths will again cross. Until then, may the grace of God shine on each of you every single day. Keep the faith.

On behalf of JoAnne Petersen

Kevin Petersen