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Patricia (Tabares) Mendoza was our sister, sister-in-law, mother, daughter, and friend. On May 22, 1999, at approximately 11:00 a.m., Patty went to be with the Lord after many years of suffering from scleroderma. We all miss her greatly. The following is our tribute to Patty. She lived her entire life in Kansas. She was a very generous, caring, and brave person who always put others’ needs before her own. It is difficult to determine how long she had the disease. Doctors first suspected Patty to have scleroderma and began testing in April 1990. Prior to this, was a long history of medical problems. If we had not been there to witness these events, even we would not have believed her story. On April 21, 1965, Patty gave birth to her first child, Mike. She was fairly young at the time and suffered from toxemia towards the end of her pregnancy. He was premature, but healthy. This was a normal delivery. In the following 17 years, miscarriages were common—as many as seven. Each was mentally devastating for Patty, as she loved children. She had a gift when it came to caring for children. She did a lot of babysitting for family and friends. It was also during this time that Patty was diagnosed with Raynaud’s Syndrome. This caused her fingers to develop ulcers making it difficult for her to work outside the home. She also would experience a great deal of pain whenever it would flare up. In 1982, she became pregnant again. She was due in February 1983. About 4 months into her pregnancy, she found out she was carrying twins. With her history of miscarriage, she was watched closely by her doctor. Just when it appeared she was out of danger from miscarriage, tragedy struck again. On November 8, 1982, her placenta detached and she was flown by life flight to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, KS for emergency delivery. One of the twin boys (Mark) weighed less than a pound and was stillborn. The other twin, Martin (Marty), weighed 1 lb. 8 oz., but survived. Patty nearly died during their delivery. Marty was kept in the neonatal unit at Wesley Medical Center for the next 4 months. During this time, Patty spent hours on the toll free line to the hospital as well as many trips to Wichita. She ached for the day she could bring her baby home. There were many ups and downs for Marty during those four months, but the day finally arrived when he was to come home. Of course, he had to be equipped with a monitor and Patty and her husband were trained in CPR. Marty was dismissed on Sunday, March 20, 1983. Four days later, on Thursday, March 24, 1983, he stopped breathing. Patty was not home at the time. She had just left for the first time since bringing him home. Her husband administered CPR. Although Marty did begin breathing again, he died later that evening at the hospital. The cause of death was determined to be SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Within a few months after Marty’s death, Patty learned she was pregnant again. Many women would have considered an abortion, but not Patty. Because of her strong belief that abortion was wrong, she was willing to risk her life again for one more chance to have another child. Patty was 37 by this time, which was another risk factor. Problems arose early, but by following the doctor’s orders, she managed to keep things under control. On June 7, 1984, Patty gave birth by C-section to her daughter, Diana Rose Mendoza. Diana was delivered somewhat early—as soon as an amniocentesis showed her lungs were developed. She was healthy and beautiful. Shortly after her delivery, Patty again began hemorrhaging. Again, we nearly lost her, but an emergency hysterectomy was performed to stop the bleeding. Diana had a small problem with apnea which made it necessary to be equipped with a monitor for the first few months. Diana is now 15 years old and has been our "miracle child." We believe she was God’s special blessing to Patty. Given as a reward for her suffering.
As the years went by, Patty developed more pain with her fingers and other joints. In 1990,she was finally diagnosed with CREST Syndrome, a form of Scleroderma. No one had heard of this disease at that time--especially in Kansas. There were operations to scrape the infection from the bones on her fingers, and she was told that someday they may have to be amputated. Little by little we saw Patty struggle with the disease. In addition to the problems with her fingers, she was also experiencing many other health problems such as high blood pressure and abnormalities with her heart. On April 19, 1996, Patty had her first heart attack. The result was damage to the entire left side of her heart. As her health deteriorated, so did her marriage. In August, 1997 she and her husband of over 30 years separated. The emotional stress only furthered her health problems. Almost immediately after the separation, a heart catheterization showed the right side of her heart was blocked. Angioplasty was performed and it was 100 percent successful. From this point on, health problems arose quickly. Her divorce was final in early 1998. By September, she was in constant pain--especially with her fingers, knees, and toes. They were infected and joints were swollen. On November 12, 1998 the first of a series of amputations occurred. She had the right ring finger and the left index finger removed. This seemed to help a great deal, although it was very difficult mentally as always is the case when a person has this sort of operation. Then Patty had increased pains in her chest. On January 28, 1999, tests indicated that the right side of the heart that was cleared only a year earlier was now totally blocked again. It was decided to place a stint in her artery to open it. Although this helped, she still experienced pain if not with her heart with her joints. Patty’s toes and remaining fingers became infected and the pain was back. On March 1, 1999—the day after Patty’s 52nd birthday, she had three toes amputated on her left foot. Two weeks later, March 11, the left index finger was removed. There were two more hospitalizations after this. The last time family was told there was little more that could be done. As soon as home health care was arranged, Patty was dismissed. Family members rotated to provide 24-hour care for her. It was now our turn to give back to her as she had so generously given to us throughout her life. The night before she died, it was clear that her time would come soon. The house was filled with family members that Friday night praying and one by one saying goodbye to a great person who touched our lives in so many ways. The following morning family members left one by one. Patty, alone at last with her mother and godmother at her side, waiting for the quietness and stillness of the morning, peacefully passed away knowing she was finally at rest. We wanted to share Patty’s story to honor her and to bring awareness to others about this horrible disease. To our knowledge, there is not a support group for patients and their families affected by scleroderma in Kansas. We would like to hear from others who may be touched by her story. In loving memory of Patricia (Tabares)
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