It is with great sadness that I have to pass on the news that the My Cancer community has lost a great friend.
We learned today that Stephanie Dornbrook has passed away. Her insights, her humor and her bravery that she expressed so often on this blog will be sorely missed. Stephanie's funeral is this afternoon at the Brunner Funeral Home in Mentor, Ohio.
Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
11:18 AM ET | 01- 7-2008 | permalink
My deepest sympathies go to Stephanie's family and friends. I have missed her on this blog.
To Stephanie's family and friends: Sending you all my deepest sympathy for a life lost way too soon. May the warmth of her love comfort you today and always.
Leroy and Stephanie's Family, Your friend will be missed greatly, her humor was special. She shared so much of her experience, and made us all stronger for the sharing. Very sad at her passing, but the pain is gone know, and she is in a better place. Know always, she is watching over you!
My warmest thoughts and prayers will be with you during this day.
Stan
Even though I don't know Stephanie, her death has caused me to finally take action and write a note. Since this blog began, I have read it and marveled at the completly honest picture of cancer that has been painted. I have started to write something many times, but just didn't finish it. Thank you, Leroy, for all your sharing, and allowing others to join you. I have learned and gained so much. It has been such a blessing to me.
My deepest sympathy to Stephanie's loved ones. May she rest in peace.
Godspeed, Stephanie. I believe her beautiful spirit is with us still. Reading the blogs of her children along with earlier entries in Stephanie's own blog, I get a sense that the whole family has inherited or absorbed some of her strength, sense of humor, and compassion. In the difficult months ahead, I hope those qualities will ease their sorrow. What a great mom they had!
Stephanie - Inspiring courage.
My thoughts and prayers to Stephanie's entire family. God be with them at this most difficult time.
Condolences to Stephanie's family and friends. We will miss her.
With deepest sympathy to the family of this wonderful woman. She will be missed by many. Sandy Lathe
I too have cancer. This week was my 7th Chemo treatment. Each one effects me the same but it is getting worse as we move along. We all wish our friends and co-survivors the best.
In loving memory of Stephanie, a pillar of this special community, from Proverbs 31:
Many daughters have done valiantly, but thou excellest them all".
The universe has another star. Shine brightly Stephanie.
Condolences to Stephanie and her family - she made herself known in this blog. I am going into hospital for 4-5 days tomorrow for lung draining and sealing procedure. As a nurse I hate being in the hospital but am hopeful that this procedure will give me some relief. Wishing everyone the best while I'm off the blog. Will catch up later.
I'm relating to Stephanie's passing as a mother: If my children love and respect me half as much as Stephanie's obviously do, I will consider myself a success in this life.
This is quite a family. I had posted on her blog a while back and the day she died, her son Nathan wrote to thank me for the post. Just amazing, the giving.I didn't know her either, except for her words - so precise and articulate - but I will miss knowing she is alive on this earth.
I am so saddened to hear of Stephanie's passing. My heart is just heavy. Condolences to her family. Kim
My deepest sympathies to Stephanie's family at this difficult time. I know she inspired me, made me think, laugh and cry, but most of all she made me love her for her spirit.
Love, Briana
I am heart broken today when I heard of Stephanie's passing before reading the blog today. I reveived an email from Stephanie through her daughter a week ago. I sent her a prayer "hug" animal in the mail this past week. I hope she used it and her family will have a chance to give it a little hug from time to time to realize someone will always be thinking of her and them. We became pen pals through our Pancreatic Cancer but became friends talking about family and other topics. Her socks she knitted me will mean so much more now. All my love Stephanie and I'm sure we will speak again.
Leroy, thank you for letting us know that Stephanie has moved on. A great heart in motion...
My deepest sympathies to Stephanie's family and friends. My thoughts and prayers are with you. May Stephanie continue to live on through her loved ones and all of the lives that she touched.
Stephanie's beautiful voice and shining spirit touched so many of us. May she be at Peace. Deepest sympathies to her family and friends.
To Leroy, Laurie, Stefanie's family and all on this blog,
Thank you for your posts. They have kept me sane. My husband was taken off chemo today and may not go back on it. I have read this blog almost everyday and everyone who has written in has helped me. A special thanks to those who continue on this blog after their loved one has passed.
Tom and I extend our sincerest sympathy to Stepahie's family. We were very saddened to hear that her journey is over but we know that Stephanie's memory will live in the hearts of everyone in this community. God Bless!
Eileen Pruyne
Charlotte, NC
Thank you Leroy for letting us all know. We will deffinetly miss Stephanie's comments in this community. My prayers will go out for her family as I am sure they are very saddened by their loss.
Because of this blog, Stephanie became my friend. She and I never met in person, but we e-mailed to one another, and we talked on the phone many times. She and I helped one another through some really tough times. I loved her warmth, her humor and her honesty. I spoke with her a few weeks ago, and could hear the weakness that had come over her and her voice. She knew at that time that she was dying. The walks that she loved to take with her husband had had to be shortened drastically. She had had to call out from work a number of times, and thought that she might not be able to return at that point. (By the way, she needed to work while dying to keep up her medical insurance. If that's not a scandal and a blot on this rich nation, I don't know what is,)
I asked Stephanie the last time we spoke if she was afraid of dying. She said that she wasn't, but she was afraid of dying in pain. I'm hopeful that the hospice team was able to keep her pain controlled. I've read the blog that her children wrote about her illness and death. They come through as wonderful, intelligent people who love their mother deeply, as well as one another. They are a credit to her and her husband.
Leroy, I truly understand what you meant about wanting to call your newly dead friends. I want to pick up the phone and talk with Stephanie again, but I know that I'll just have to talk to her in spirit. She is missed by many.
My deepest sympathy to Stephanie's family and all, like myself, who enjoyed and appreciated her words.
I had lurked on Stephanie's, and then her childrens', blogs for quite some time. Then, when it was clear she was in the last stages of her disease, i read the blogs several times a day. I felt like an intruder, a voyeur, witnessing this family's incredible openness about the impending loss of the woman they loved so much. I think that's what struck me so much about Stephanie - - her family. The love that her children and husband had, and have, for her, is something that simply takes my breath away. And i am sure that in part, my reading their blogs was to stay connected with that kind of love in the midst of illness and dying.
I am astounded, honestly, at how devastated i was on Sunday when i read in Mara's and Nathan's blogs that Stephanie had passed away. It wasn't unexpected, of course, and quite frankly the possibility that she was in pain (which shouldn't have been the case, since she was under Hospice care, but about which I worried nevertheless) made me wish for her nothing but an end to her suffering.
And yet when it came, it broke open a well of grief inside me that i had no idea was there. I spent most of Sunday crying - -for the loss of this great woman, for the love that her family showed to her throughout her life and in her passing, for the loss - - of years, illusions of immortality - - that we in CancerWorld all share...and also, in my case, for the sadness and fear that i feel as i wonder, when i am dying, whether i will have the loving and devoted people around me that Stephanie did. I couldn't admit that to myself as I cried on Sunday, but on reflection i know that this was part of my grief - - for a variety of reasons i don't have family surrounding me -- and witnessing Stephanie's death through her children's words made me crave that, both now and when i pass.
This is hard to admit - - but i will always be grateful to Stephanie, for sharing her wisdom about living and dying with grace and strength. I can only hope that when it's my turn I take my last steps with one iota of the dignity and elegance that she did. And i am grateful to Stephanie's children, for sharing so openly with us her final days and for showing us what real love and devotion looks like.
I am in awe of this family - - all of them - - and send them healing thoughts and prayers and love in the days ahead, and all the rest of their lives.
Leroy thank you for letting us know of this terrible loss. To Stephanie's Family --- I was so saddened and heartbrokern to hear of Stephanie's passing. I to like many others did not know Stephanie personally only from the special on Discovery channel "Living with Cancer" and from NPR - Leroy Sievers blog. Stephanie showed such grace, courage and strength. She was a lovely soul and I know is a huge loss for the family. For Stephanie's children unfortunately I too know what it is like to lose a parent to this ugly word cancer I lost my father from Lung cancer September 24, 2007 and still struggle with it as if it was yesterday which made your news all the more sad for me -- for you, her family. When I watched Living with Cancer with my dad Leroy and Stephanie were the two that made him change his view and get moving again atleast for awhile. Even after my father's passing I still continued and still continue to follow Leroys blog and everyday looked for Stephanie's comments and others there for inspiration. Everyday they make it through is just another stab at cancer everyday when that miracle happens or someone gets better news or good news is just a stab back at cancer and I hope these days continue for all until there is a cure for everyone. Cancer is never easy on anyone. I was my fathers caregiver and all I can say is that your caregiving will give you comfort from time to time knowing you were there for your mom and doing what you could to make her life more normal, worth living, and enjoyable at such a time of unknown and fear. Take one day at a time and be patient, be forgiving, be understanding, be loving, be kind to yourselves the way you were with your mom (And Dustin as you were with your wife). It's just not easy not easy at all like Leroy said: there's never a right time for them to die, no matter old, young, illiness, sudden or expected they are just missed so much. May Stephanie rest in peace. To honor Stephanie's life and her brave fight and my dad's and all of you before and to all of Leroy's bloggers and bloggers at this site, caregivers and family members stay encouraged, take care, and continue to support and love one another through this horrible loss and for all the days to come you guys have another angel up there on your side. I am so sorry for Stephanie's loss. With empathy and love, Cori Swanson
Rest in peace Stephanie!!!!
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A Ted Koppel documentary focuses on his friend Leroy Sievers' "My Cancer" blog and the response it evokes.
A journalist for more than 25 years, Leroy Sievers worked at CBS News, the Discovery Channel, and ABC News, where he was the executive producer of Nightline. He wrote this blog daily until his death in August.
Download Leroy Sievers' radio commentaries and exclusive audio segments in the My Cancer podcast.
If you'd like to write to the My Cancer staff privately, please use our e-mail form.
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