A little sunshine amid the rain and clouds...

Amidst the difficulty of the past several weeks, we were able to get our minds somewhere else the day after the funeral. The Tour of California started in Merced (where Eric is from) the day after the funeral. It had been pouring rain since Sunday and then on Wednesday, it was the most gorgeous day. We went to the start line in Merced and then tried to catch them in another spot. It was so fun! Eric and I were able to get our minds on something that we both love so much.
What is a Tour without Bob Roll...
I got a great picture of Lance. If only we had been there earlier we could have gotten signatures, darn it! We wore our pink "Fat Cyclist" jerseys to show support for Eric's dad and for Susan Nelson.
It was such a fun experience. I love watching races, especially bike races. I just love the energy of it all. We were trying to make it to Mariposa as well so we could see them climb, but the roads were shut down...boo hoo. We ended up watching the rest of the race on TV and it was soooo cool. It was a great escape from the sad reality we've been facing.

Obituary for Tony Gaoiran

Antonino (Tony) Gaoiran

For those of you who knew Eric's dad, I want to let you know that he passed away on Thursday from pancreatic cancer. It was too fast. He was diagnosed only 2 weeks prior to his passing. It has only been 3 weeks since we found out that things were looking really bad. It has only been 4.5 weeks since we found out that he was sick. It has been a really tough time for Eric and his family.

Eric has visited his dad in California 4 times since we found out Tony was sick. He has come home in between for short periods of time. I am so glad that has been able to spend so much time with his dad. During his first trip, Eric did his paper route with him. Tony was very efficient and Eric said that he had fun doing the route with him. It brought back memories from when he used to do them as a kid. He was very conscientious about his job and his school and so he kept going even though he was in a lot of pain.

He was very concerned about making it to work and finishing his school. He was in school at the University of Phoenix getting his degree. Tony worked in the evenings hanging fliers for businesses and also had several paper routes that he did from midnight until 6 AM.
Since his dad has been sick, Eric has been his caretaker along with Maureen, Tony's wife. I am so grateful for a husband who respects and loves his dad so much. Tony constantly said, "where's Eric". Eric was always there for him. Tony knew he could count on Eric. I know that these last few weeks meant the world to Tony. The last few nights before Tony died, Eric was awake with his dad all night, helping him to get comfortable and moving him around. Eric was with him at his home when he passed away.
These pictures are precious for us. In this picture Eric had just asked his dad how he was feeling and his dad said, "I love you, son". You can see on Tony's face how proud he is of Eric.

We love you and miss you!

Tony's Obituary

July 12, 1948 - February 12, 2009

Tony Gaoiran was born in Merced on July 12, 1948 and peacefully passed away in his Clovis home on Feb. 12, 2009. He was preceded by parents Regino & Magdalena Gaoiran.

Tony is a Merced High graduate, attended Merced Jr. College & until his passing, was enrolled in the University of Phoenix, Psychology Program. Tony was a loyal American Patriot who was in the US Army, who served in Viet Nam with honor & distinction. Tony was devoted to his family and took great pride in his work as an independent contractor with the Fresno Bee. He leaves many, many loved ones: Wife Maureen; sons Eric(Jaynann, Talon, Tyler), Justin(Valerie, Cooper); brothers Mel(Patty), Nick(Tracy); sister Susie(Jim); stepchildren Lisa(Carl, Patrick, Elizabeth, Daniel), Marcus(Nou, Kenji, Scott), Richard(Melissa, Madison, Anthony, Valerie); William(Mai). He also leaves his loyal beloved pets, Guiness, C.C. &Waldo.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009, at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints located at 220 North Peach, Clovis, CA. Visitation is 11:00am to 11:45am with Services at 12 noon. Burial will be at the Clovis Cemetary located at 305 N Villa Ave, Clovis. All his family and friends are welcome and invited to attend.

Tony will truly be missed.

Tough times...

This is a tough time. Eric's dad, Tony, has been feeling sick since November. We didn't find out he was sick until about 3 weeks ago when Maureen,Tony's wife, e-mailed Eric about how worried she was about him. They didn't know what was wrong and he has been misdiagnosed 4 times by different doctors. They said he had acid reflux and that he was depressed. They never looked any further. The last dr. finally said they would do a cat scan and had it scheduled. In the meantime, he kept getting worse and so Tony finally said he would go to the ER. That is when all the bad news hit. They took a cat scan and told him that he had a lump on his pancreas and that his liver had lesions all over it. The news looked bad, but we decided to wait until we got the biopsy back as well as hear from the oncologist before we decided that his life was short. The oncologist confirmed the horrible news. Tony has pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver. She told him he has weeks to months left...

Eric has been traveling to and from CA. We came here this time with him. This is his third time driving to CA in 3 weeks. Tony keeps losing weight and won't drink or eat because he can't keep anything down. Currently, Eric is at the ER with his dad and Maureen trying to get him an IV. They are going to keep him at the hospital for the moment.

Yesterday was a good day, in a spiritual sense. He was sealed to Maureen in the Fresno temple. We didn't have anyone in Clovis to watch the kids, so I stayed with the kids while Eric went into the sealing and was his dad's escort. It was a neat experience for Eric. Unfortunatley, Tony was sick most of the time. He threw up after the ceremony and they rushed him outside of the temple for fresh air. It was a long day for him, but I know Tony was happy that he was able to be sealed to Maureen.
It is painful to see him right now. He is so frail and thin. It takes lots of energy to do anything, so he just lays in bed. As you can imagine, it is very painful for Eric. But I am so amazed at his strength. He has been an amazing support for his dad and Maureen, doing anything for them.

He is my parent's age, he is only 60. This is him in May of last year.This is at Thanksgiving. When I look at the picture now, I can see that he is not feeling well. I wish we knew then.

There is not much more to say, but I ask for prayers in his behalf and for Eric and his family. They are all taking it pretty hard. Many of you are already praying for them and we really appreciate that.