Happy Fourth of July!

I just wanted to let you all know that I've spent all morning typing up all the personal messages for Jenny that I have received. They all look lovely, with borders and graphics and backdrops! *smile* I am going to send what I have out to Jenny Monday morning on my way to work. If you have not yet sent me a message, or told jules1 at Alamak what you wanted to say, and would like to, please e-mail it to Regarding_Jenny@hotmail.com no later than Sunday afternoon/early evening (that's my time - EST) so I have time to finish and get to bed early enough so that I won't be tired at work. Thanks a lot! I wish I could be there to see Jenny's face when she reads all the messages! *big smile* She's going to love them!

Love,
Carina

#9

Well, I ALMOST have news. Yesterday when I got home from work, there was a message on the machine from Jenny's father saying he wanted to "update" me on "Jennifer" (Good thing she didn't hear him call her THAT!!!). He left a number and after I got over my fit about not being home when he called in the first place, I called it. I got a strange answering machine and since the number had the same area code as the hospital, I'm assuming it's where he's staying since he apparently did not go home to New Mexico. So I left a message, but I have not heard back yet. And I called the hospital and the nurse was even less helpful than the last time, if that's possible. Grrr... I'll try again when I get home from church!

On a happier note... I went shopping in the Disney Store last night! *big huge smile* I got Jenny a Mickey Mouse cup with a straw wrapped around the outside (I figured she could use that in the hospital)... and a musical Mickey Mouse toothbrush (hey, it was cute!)... and one of those little towels that expands when you put it in water (guess which Disney character is on that one!)... and two wind-up toys so she doesn't get bored (one with Mickey in an airplane, and one with Mickey in a car). And the lady who rang them up was very nice and gave me a beautiful Mickey Mouse box to put them all in and said little kids love the wind-up toys! PERFECT!

Anyway, sorry for that outburst, I'm just so excited! I'm sending it on Monday morning, along with the compilation of personal notes. Which reminds me... if you haven't already sent me a message for her and you want it in the "first batch," get that out by tonight please. And don't forget... Regarding_Jenny@hotmail.com.

That's all for now. I will let you all know the SECOND I speak to Mr. Doenges.

Love,
Carina

#10

I just got a phone call from Vanessa, who said she had been watching the Doenges house while they were away. Jenny passed away yesterday. I don't know what happened because Vanessa didn't really know either. I'm sorry... I can't write anything else.

#11

First of all, I would like to apologize for the abruptness and lack of tact in that last tragic e-mail. I was extremely distraught, but that is no excuse. The way in which the news was delivered to me should have been an indication that such a blow should be dealt in the most delicate way possible.

Second of all, I know that all of you must be quite upset (understatement of the year), but I do have one more thing to ask of you. Losing my Jenny is one of the greatest losses in my life. When I found out, I wanted to give up. But that will do no good whatsoever. I realize now that to truly be her friend, I need to insure that no one will ever forget her or what she did for all of us. Jostein and I have a plan. We think that the Library at Alamak should be renamed "Jenny's Library." My Library family is very important to me, as it was to her. She was an integral part. Jenny's Library is the right name. There is no other in my mind. Jos and I have both written e-mails to the webmaster making this request and explaining why it is so important to us. What I am asking of you is a simple e-mail to webmaster@www.alamak.com with the subject "I support Jenny's Library." You don't have to write anything in the body of the message. The situation has been fully explained and we only want to show the webmaster how many people care. This two seconds of your time will help more than you know. So please, send out that e-mail ASAP...

I will send out another update if I hear from her father and find out exactly what happened.

That is all I have for now, except to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for Jenny. I know it seems like it was all in vain, but we all know in our hearts that Jenny KNOWS how much we all care. She might not have read the personal messages, she might not have gotten the cards and gifts, but she KNOWS. And now her family will know too. I am sure sympathy cards would be welcomed at the Doenges house if you so desire to send them. They should either be addressed to Karl Doenges or the Doenges Family.

My only wish is that you will all keep Jenny alive in your hearts. I know that I will for the rest of my life. Thank you again. *hugs*

Love,
Carina

#12

I am warning all of you right now. If you do not have a box of tissues next to you, go get one before you read any further...

Mr. Doenges just called me. He didn't even know that Vanessa had called me. I told him how sorry I was and somehow (by some miracle) managed not to cry. And let me tell you, that is fifty zillion times harder to do when you are talking to a grown man who might burst into tears at any moment. Okay, sorry. We're going for the informational message here, not the hysterical Carina message.

They knew perhaps a week ago that Jenny was probably not going to make it. But, in typical Jenny fashion, she confused them all right from the start. She would get better and then get worse and then get better, etc. Hence, when I talked to Mr. Doenges last she was looking better. By Thursday night, it was looking like it was the end. She went into cardiac arrest on Friday night and Mr. Doenges made them bring her back so he could hold on to her so he wouldn't lose her on a holiday. Then shortly after midnight, he let her go.

She is to be buried in Clovis on Friday. He will call me when he knows the time and everything. She wanted, of course, to be buried in Alaska, but he overrode that wish because he would not be able to visit the grave there. She will, however, have her Mickey Mouse blanket, pillow, etc... just as she wanted.

I also talked to him about cracking into her computer and everything. He totally supports the web page plan and would even like to write something for it too. And I have the go-ahead to put up a pic of her. However, he needs to get through this week first before he worries about that.

He is very appreciative of the cards they have received and he told me to thank all of her friends (that means you). I am still going to send all the wishes you gave me for her to him so he will have them.

Throughout this whole ordeal, Jenny was never in any pain. She was sedated on Wednesday night before chemo and did not wake up at all. He said they told her then that the blood work indicated it was leukemia. And at the bottom of the letter she made him write to me, those two lines she wrote, were the last thing she ever wrote. I will cherish them forever.

I can't write any more. Please e-mail me if you have any other questions. I will answer when I am able. Thank you for all you have done. Our Nutty Buddy thanks you too. I know she does.

Love,
Carina

#13

When Jenny first got sick, I made a vow to myself to share any information I received about her with all her friends (you), no matter how personal to me. Well, this is about as personal as they come, but I feel I owe it to all of you to share it. I received the following e-mail from Jenny's family (I hope this answers any questions any of you might have):

Dear Miss Gunder,

I've been spending the weekend going through Jenny's e-mails. She had a bunch, 32 to be exact. I will answer all of them, it just takes time and truthfully, its hard on me. I'm starting with you, as I can tell you have been quite a friend to my daughter.

It looks like the letters you sent her at the hospital were all forwarded to our home here in Clovis. I'll make a point to read them to her. I thought you might like to know and pass on exactly what happened to Jenny and our family. As you might be aware, I'm a single parent - so I play both Dad and Mr. Mom.

Prior to us leaving on our vacation June 15th, Jenny was having numerous dental problems, first it was a wisdom tooth that had to removed, then her gums really became infected which appeared to spread to her tonsils (??). She was placed on amoxicillin which helped clear away the infections to a great extent. We spent a week in Mesa, Arizona with my sister just relaxing and enjoying the hot weather (105 plus). We had gone swimming at a water park and rode the wave runner which she really liked. On Friday June 20th we went boating and swimming in place called Canyon Lake which Jenny really enjoyed. That whole weak though, she seemed more worn out then usual and complained several times that her chest hurt and it was hard for her to breathe. But after taking her asthma inhalers she seemed to feel better. We departed for Laughlin, Nevada on Saturday (21 Jun) and that night she just didn't feel well - mostly nauseated. On Sunday we left for Las Vegas and stopped at Hoover Dam to take the tour. About half way through Jenny became totally exhausted to the point we had to help her to the car. We continued on to our hotel in Las Vegas.

I could tell she was sick so we decided to just stay inside the cool room - I figured the heat got to her. That evening she started vomiting and having diarrhea, typical flu-like symptoms. Since she was so dehydrated from this, I decided to take her to the hospital at Nellis Air Force Base. That's when our world started to cave in. Within three hours she was rushed to Columbia Childrens' Hospital. Jenny was very sick and getting sicker. After several hours, I was told that it appeared she had leukemia and a cancer specialist was consulted. At this point her chest was really hurting along with her left side. She was placed on oxygen, given breathing treatments for her asthma (which up until now had not bothered her for several years) and pain medicine for the side. We were told on Wednesday (25 Jun) that she indeed had Acute Myelogenous Leukemia or Myelodysplastic syndrome.

Jenny was told that afternoon prior to going into surgery to have a catheter placed in a major artery which is standard procedure. Jenny took the news very well and asked that I contact two people, you and her mother. The note you received were the last words she wrote. That evening in surgery, Jenny developed major respiratory problems and had to be placed on a ventilator and was placed in the intensive care unit where her condition was listed as extremely critical. Carina, I'm sorry to say, Jenny never woke up. We later learned that she also had a viral pneumonia. It was decided to start her on chemotherapy which lasts for 96 straight hours. She tolerated this extremely well. The plan all along was to get her stable enough to be transported back home where she would continue treatment. The first seven days things seemed to go OK until approximately 4:50am on Wednesday July 2nd. The hospital called me to her bedside because her blood pressure was rapidly dropping, but she was stubborn and slowly all her vital signs returned to normal. This continued until Thursday afternoon. That is when we noticed her urine had become darker (indicating kidney malfunction) and later that her skin started becoming jaundiced (indicating liver problems). About midnight her pupils had become fixed which means blood leaking into the brain.

Carina, I know this is getting hard on both of us, but please continue to read this and I will explain. On Friday morning, they performed an EEG which showed minimal brain activity and I was told that my baby had 24-36 hours left on this earth. That night, she went into cardiac arrest at 11:20 but the doctors were able to revive her. Thirty minutes later at 11:50 God was calling her. The doctors kept her going until 12:04am Saturday July 5th when I told them to stop, she had suffered enough. Her mom was on the way from Manhatten, Kansas but missed her by three minutes.

Remember, when I told you that she wanted two people to be contacted, well she also asked that no matter what happened that I tell you everything and not leave out anything. I know now, how much she cherished your friendship. As you see, I owe it to her to tell you just that. Our family had no idea that she was sick, yet alone have this dreaded illness. I haven't received the final hospital report yet so we're not really sure what happened in the end. We think what happened was that after the chemo killed off all the bad white blood cells, the virus in her kept attacking the new blood they were giving her killing it faster then they could give it to her.

Jenny was laid to rest on Friday July 12th at Lawn Haven Cemetery here in Clovis, New Mexico. The service was beautiful and was attended by almost 150 friends. I know Jenny is happy now and is not suffering any more pain. I look up into the sky and when I find a cloud, pretend she is looking down on us smiling. She would want all of us to go on and not worry about her. She had with her, her mother's Bible, a letter from her sister, her favorite Mickey Mouse comforter and pillow and 30 Disney dollars which she can now spend at that big Disneyland in the sky. She wore her favorite Mickey Mouse shirt and last but not least her jeans. She truly is happy.

Carina, from the bottom of my heart I cannot express how thankful I am to you for being her friend. My Jenny was a beautiful young lady and we all will miss her deeply. As life goes on, I want you to know that not only was Jenny your friend, but I hope that you add myself and her sister Bridgette to the list.

You have our address and phone number and now my e-mail address. Please don't ever hesitate to call on us if we can be of any help. A simple acknowledgment to this e-mail would be appreciated.

Karl W. Doenges (Dad)
Bridgette M. Doenges (Sister)

#14

To every Jenny's Friend,

Recently we called for a campaign requesting the name of the Library to be changed to Jenny's Library and we are glad to see the immense support from all of you and those others who didn't know Jenny but were kind enough to join us in the campaign.

However, this request has been declined. I just talked to Alamak and here is what he said:

*Alamak* (#203.116.2.192#) Yes I saw the request, I had to decline the recommendation fir 2 reasons, 1 ) The need to keep room names short and 2) I'ts not easy to add and remove rooms and I don't feel the room name is generally applicacable to the chatline ... I sympathize and in fact my mom has cancer but I don't feel we need to make a room for it, people are best remembered in ones own mind.

He gave adequate reasons and I could make no further request as the maintenance of a chatline is definitely tough. Thus, I am sorry to say that this campaign may have to come to an end. Anyway, Jenny can see what you all have done for her. She would be happy to see that you all still remember and love her...

It is regrettable that the campaign ends with no success. It fails but Jenny knows that our love of her never dies.

This would be all for this mail. Take care and have a nice day.

Jostein (Kai)