Lannie, 永不消逝的芳菲 ⋯⋯

A private burial service was held in honor of Lannie on Wed. Dec. 22, 2010 at the Hopedale Village Cemetery. On behalf of Jay, I would like to express our heart-felt gratitude for the kindness, the expression of love, and the generosity that so many of you have showed us in the past couple of weeks. Both Jay and I have been deeply touched. Your comforting words helped ease the pain during this difficult time. Your outpouring of compassion made the nights shorter. If there is a silver lining in this tragedy, it has brought friends far and near together and it has renewed old friendship. We met and received cards from friends in our distant past … As one sympathy card said, Lannie is gone, but she will never be forgotten because she leaves a fragrance that will last a life time. With that in mind, I am hoping that this last update will begin the healing process which will make 2011 a much better year for all.

Thank you so very much for everything you all have done for Lannie, for me and Jay. Your kindness in time of needs shall be remembered!

Jon & Jay

Lannie's Legacy Lives On

Though Lannie’s left, her legacy lives on.  On her funeral in Sunday afternoon, we witnessed beautiful stories shared by her beloved husband Jon Lu, her son Jay, and her friends.   We all knew how Lannie had fought against cancer with all her strength in the past 2 and an half years.  Yet who would've imagined facing death, Lannie had compiled highlights of her life in a photo slide presentation to be remembered in her own funeral!   Lina at the request of Lannie brought the slides alive.  At the end when she said "good-bye all" on Lannie's behalf, it brought tears to everyone's eyes.  "Yesterday’s service was so beautiful and personal – I could feel Lannie’s presence throughout, and I, too, will remember it always.  She was such a gentle, caring and beautiful spirit – words cannot bring that back, but they do help us to share our feelings", said Susan Johanson, a colleague and friend at Olin College where Lannie had worked.  The funeral was attended by more than 300 people.  It was followed by a reception.

Lannie's Funeral Service

Our dearest friend Lannie He, wife of Jon Q. Lu, passed away at 7:30am on Dec. 15, 2010 after a long battle against lung cancer. A public funeral service will be held at 3pm on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010 at the Chinese Gospel Church in Southborough, MA. Visitation hour will start at 2pm. A private burial ceremony will be held at the Hopedale Village Cemetery after cremation. Please keep Lannie and Jon and the family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. You may send your sympathy cards, flowers and donations to:

c/o Lannie’s funeral directors

Chinese Gospel Church of MA

60# Turnpike Road (Rte 9)

Southborough, MA 01772

Lannie's Just Passed Away

It is with great sorrow I inform you that this morning at about 7:54 we received a call from Lannie's sister, Lannie is gone.

We lost a dear friend.  God has a new angel.

Yaming, Jinhua

Lannie's condition update 4: (Dec. 13, 2010)

Lannie's condition this past week continues to deteriorate, her breathing became a bit more labored,  and her vomiting sometimes was violent, according to the doctor as well as daily observation. From Sunday, the doctor has reduced the intervals of her anti-vomiting drug from every six hours to every four hours and also increased the dosage of her pain management medication. The objective is to keep her comfortable, to reduce the pain and nausea to a minimum.

We have started around-the-clock watch of Lannie at the hospital this week. All time slots this week have been filled by volunteers. If you can volunteer some time during the day next week, please let me know. We will make a list and if the need arises, we will call you. Many thanks for your continuous support. Please keep Lannie in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

My email: jon98lu@yahoo.com

J.Q.Lu

Lannie’s condition Update 3 (Dec. 6, 2010)

Lannie had an exciting weekend. Many of her friends came to the hospital to visit her: her friends at Olin College where she worked previously, her college buddies came all the way from NYC and many of you around here in MA. On Sat. night, her sister came from China after a long flight. Lannie was and is still very excited to have her at her bedside. In terms of her medical condition, not much change took place over the weekend. With continuous feed of anti-pain medication, she feels no pain for the most part. Her urge to throw up is somewhat under control, if she needs it, she gets an extra dose of anti-vomiting medication; both medications tend to make her a little drowsy so she would need some extra nap time during the day. So when you visit her during the day, she might be napping. But she loves to see everyone when she is awake. She had relatively a good night of sleep last night.

We thank all of you for your continuous support and please keep Lannie in your thoughts and prayers in the new week.

J.Q.Lu

Lannie, 12/3

Lannie had a good day today, according to Jinhua, Huazhen and Mu Bing who were at her bedside this morning.  She was alert and in good spirit.  She vomited twice in the morning, but no fever.  She rested ok last night.

Thoughts and Prayers

Dear friends,

Please follow this thread to post your thoughts and prayers for Lannie and her husband Lu Qiang.  Know that your kindness is greatly appreciated by all.

Yaming

Lannie, 12/2

Jinhua just came home from Lannie's bedside and told me the following:

1. The medicine kept Lannie sleeping until about 2pm.  During her sleep, Jinhua tried to wake her by talking to her.  She was conscious about Jinhua's presence.  However the medicine kept her from waking up.  

2. The nurse came by every half hour or so to change her position.  She developed some rash on her lower back.  The nurse cleaned her and applied lotion/oil on her.  The doctor ordered a new mattress that'd help her back circulation.

3. Lannie had a fever of 102 F.  She was given some medicine.  Jinhua used a fruit ice bar to moisten her mouth.  She swallowed some while asleep.  By 3pm the temperature came down to 100.01 F.

4. Then a little after 2pm, Lannie woke up.  Her eyes were bright with no sign of sleepiness. She asked to urinate.  The nurses came to help and then cleaned her again.

5. The swollen on her left leg came down quite a bit.

Lannie's Sister Arrives on Saturday, 12/04

Per Xiao Guan in Beijing this morning at 1:31 (2:31pm Beijing time), Lannie sister's visa was granted.  She will pick up the document at 3pm Beijing time.


Per Lu Qiang this morning at at 8:33, he has booked a ticket for Lannie's sister. She will arrive in Providence on Saturday, 12/4. Lu Jia will go to the airport to pick her up.

Visiting Guidelines

After a lengthy discussion with her doctor this evening and based on the doctor’s advice, Lannie will be given continuous IV drop plus a new pain medicine mixed in around the clock, starting tomorrow. According to the doctor, the medicine will be able to better control her belly pain and vomiting, thus will put her in a more comfortable situation. The downside of the new medication is that it will make her drowsy and sleepy, therefore, the hours when she will be awake and alert are reduced. Based on the doctor’s recommendation, the visitation hours will follow these new guidelines: 

1. There will a sign posted on the door of her hospital room.
2. All visitors need to have the nurse’s permission to enter her room.
3. Before allowing anyone to go in, the nurse will check on Lannie to see if she is awake and is in a position to see her friends and visitors.
4. Please keep your visitation time within 30-40 minutes.
5. Please avoid going to the hospital in large groups (no more than three people at a time).

Meanwhile, the doctor also agreed to keep her in the hospital indefinitely according to her current medical condition. Knowing that she is cared for around the clock by competent professional people is the best that we can get for her right now. 

We appreciate your understanding and continuous support for her. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you very much.

Lu, Qiang

Lannie's Birthday Party, 2008

You may have noticed new on the blog there is a small window of slide shows.  When you click the picture icon, it'll take you to another page where you'll see pictures in my flickr account.  Many will recognize those pictures were taken on a birthday party we held for Lannie on 10/18/2008, just little over a month after she started her chemo therapy.  She wrote me next day:  "I had a good time at the party and very surprised to have the birthday cake. I am proud of myself to be surrounded by a lot of loving people. I must fight my illness hard so that I can see you guys on every of my birth date in the years ahead."  And two days later she wrote again, "The food served in last Saturday's party is delicious, I even though did not take every dish but I guess everything is the best. I ate more than I should that night."


Eat, Lannie, eat!  You will get better.


yaming