I am posting this here at Cathie's request.
Please enjoy your holidays.
Thank you for your time.
11/27/2014 A Thank you post
I’m not certain I can find the words to express the depth of gratitude that I feel toward our wonderful community of DragonRealms, but never the less, I’m about to try.
JD and I met through DR, when his Olvi Ranger walked into the gem shop where my Olvi Trader was just learning to sell pouches. We had no intention of hooking up ingame and no intention of getting together outside the game, but both happened in spite of us. We had so very much in common and we never did run out of things to talk about. We had both had very bad experiences with someone we’d met online, so the leap of faith we had to take was a huge one and a vastly rewarding one. Our official first meeting took place after he drove 36 hours straight to come pick me up from TN and bring me home with him to AZ. It took us a week to get there, stopping at out of the way places along the way and just enjoying each other’s company. Our characters did not actually marry until a few months after I’d moved in with him.
Back in February, JD was still a healthy, vibrant man. He was still driving, still going out nearly every day, still working on projects around the house and still gaming. At the age of 76, he was still playing DR, leveling up his paladin Balfore, but he was starting to have serious problems retaining information and learning new things. I’d come to realize that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s and we’d started insisting he go to a doctor. What we did not expect to learn was that he also had advanced lung cancer that had metastasized to his brain and other organs. He started to lose weight rapidly, lost his ability to do all of the things he loved and declined so quickly that we are still reeling from the shock. In April, he asked me to cancel his DR accounts. That was the beginning of the end, and also the beginning of the outpouring of support from the DR community.
You all have helped in more ways than you can possibly realize. As you all know, JD wanted to get married while we still could, but unfortunately he’d never gotten around to that divorced he’d intended to get. There was a house and property involved, which required the aid of an attorney and that wasn’t something we could afford. The fund raiser paid for that as well as some of his new medical expenses. We filed as quickly as we could and prayed that we had enough time left. I bought him a new ivory fedora to add to his hat collection, just to wear for the wedding. We bought a set of plain gold bands. Every day, people checked in on us, various friends and fellow players and the lovely parchments were drawn up and sent. We put the rings on early, because he really wanted to wear his and to see mine on me. We left them on.
When the parchments arrived, JD was no longer able to get out of bed and only semi conscious. I read them to him, every line, every signature. I told him about all of the people wanting him to know how much they supported and loved us. He smiled and nodded his head which was all he was able to do at that point. Then he slipped into a light coma and never came out of it. He passed so peacefully and quietly that the cat sleeping next to him never stirred.
Every day, someone checks on me, asks me what they can do to help. Every day, I am given a new reason to be thankful even through the most terrible days of my life. The continual concern and showing of support keeps me going and I don’t think there are enough ways to say thank you.
I do not know when I will be able to return to DragonRealms but I do intend to. When I can, I will get the parchments framed and hung on the wall, probably right next to his hats that I won’t take down.
JD played DR for roughly 15 years and ran Boppum the flying cleric, Boobuh the ranger, Thundrek the ODS empath and finally Balfore the paladin. He continued to live in DR even after he stopped playing as his mind found comfort and solace there. Thank you, all of you, for being the wonderfully awesome people that you are to help him keep his faith in the players of the game. And for helping me get through the loss of the most wonderful man I’ve ever known.
Bless you all this holiday season,
Cathie
AKA Drexella, Ciressa, Dianelle and Mandalynn.
