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What will happen to these children?Nov 01 '05 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The uncertain fate of three children -- scared, lost, and confused.
I haven't written here on epinions in a long while. The last time I posted here was a silly review of a silly movie. Since then, many things have happened, both in the world and at home. Some very good things, for which I am forever grateful. And some very trying things; the types of things that make us realize how lucky we are for the time we have here, for our health, and for the love of our friends and family. I'll get right to the point. Last month, we lost a member of the epinions community. His nickname was goodluckcharm. No, he wasn't a prolific writer on this site, but he made contributions that some of us found useful and appreciated, and he touched many of us. His real name was John Monti, and he was my uncle. Several years ago, John's wife Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer. John wrote a story about Kathy here on epinions, entitled My Beautiful Wife (http://www.epinions.com/content_2804523140). In it, he told of her ordeal battling cancer, and indeed the ordeal the entire family struggled with. This article was written three years ago. Since then, Kathy, while blind in both eyes, enjoyed a virtually cancer-free life with John and their three children. But the horrible affliction resurfaced, this time in John. Several months ago, John was diagnosed with lung cancer. Soon thereafter, he slipped into a coma, one from which he would not awake. John passed away on 19 September 2005 at his home in Dunedin FL. Of course, the loss was a shock to the family. John helped Kathy through her struggle, did most of the housework, and tended to the children and their demands with school, sports, and just growing up as teenagers in today's world. Simple (and not-so-simple) activities that Kathy was, for the most part, unable to help with because of her condition. Weeks passed since John's unexpected death, and Kathy's situation got worse. She was lost without John. She didn't know what to do from one minute to the next, since John had taken care of everything for her. It's with a heavy heart that I share this with you. While John's children struggled with life without their father, Kathy's cancer returned for the worse during the past four weeks. She fell into a coma just last week, and within days has left us. Kathy died on the evening of 28 October 2005. John's sister, and my mother, known here as Lark729_89, also wrote an article several years past about Kathy and her zest for life. She called me from Dunedin this morning asking if I would post something here on epinions to share this story and to ask for your help. The future of John and Kathy's three children is uncertain. Bills have piled up over the past few months, many still unopened. While the courts decide their fate, the children remain confused, afraid, and indeed deeply saddened. Lost. The Monti family's church, Our Lady of Lordes Roman Catholic Church in Dunedin, has established the Monti Family Fund in an effort to help John's children (ages 15-17) ease through their transition to life without their parents. The main goal at this point is to provide financial assistance to help pay the mounting pile of debt that their unbearable loss has caused. If you can help in any way -- $1, $5, or just a simple prayer for Joshua, John Jr., and Katherine -- the family would be most grateful. Contributions can be made to the Monti Family Fund and sent to: Monti Family Fund c/o Our Lady of Lordes Roman Catholic Church 750A San Salvador Dunedin FL 34698 ATTN: Father Madden Thank you for taking the time to read my story. And peace, health, and happiness to all of you.  |
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