Celebration of Life - Sat June 18 in Pemberton

From Tuula:

Please pass along the news and invite those you know, who knew Marty.

Let's Celebrate ALL that is Marty to ALL of us!!

To me...... These were some of the last words i typed to him..... I am
sure some of you shared these sentiments.....

"You are so AWESOME!! You have earned all the love and energy being
sent your way just by being such a positive, supportive, encouraging,
and solid friend!! Manifesting, believing, being inspired, taking
risks, exploring creativity, pushing limits, going beyond, exploring
mother nature, seeking wisdom, dancing your heart out, trusting your
intuition, being curious about human nature.... These are just a few
of your exceptional characteristics.

With this in mind... Let's Celebrate Life! As Marty would have loved it to be!!

The Celebration of Life will begin at 2pm on Saturday across the
street from Marty's house where his parents Anne and Don have been
staying. This will be an Open House and EVERYONE is welcome to drop
by. There will be a slide show and time to gather to share stories
with one another, with family and friends.

1366 Greenwood st
Pemberton BC

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&xhr=t&q=greenwood+ave+pemberton&cp=23&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1629&bih=934&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

There will be an after gathering at Oni's property on Ivey Lake up
Reid Rd for those who would like to extend the celebration of Marty's
life through music and dance. There will be rustic lake side camping
available with access to an outhouse for those who wish to spend the
night. Everyone is welcome to join in on this extended celebration
and to feel free to extend the invitation to anyone who would wish to
share in remembering Marty together and celebrating his legacy as we
shall remember him.

1712 Reid Rd
D'Arcy

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=1366+Greenwood+Street,+Pemberton,+British+Columbia&daddr=Reid+Rd&geocode=FQni_wIdSQ-u-CnHrO4imDWHVDGi7JMEv_4Nxg%3BFeQmAAMdj9Wu-A&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=50.32833,-122.764125&sspn=0.043725,0.107117&ie=UTF8&z=14

This gathering will be a first among many to come! Lets celebrate
MARTY'S LIFE through DANCE and MUSIC the way he would want to be
celebrated!

Tuula

Journey' End

Martin has come to the end of his journey. He lost his courageous fight to cancer on June 15th. Thankfully, he went quickly in the last three days. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. We wish to thank the many people at helping hands who supported Martin through his illness. To Carolyn, Amy, and Oni who stayed with Martin until the end we owe you a special debt of gratitude by helping Martin through this journey and supporting us though this heartbreaking time. We have come to know you well and love you as Martin did.

In loving memory of our Son
Anne and Don Holloway

On Martin`s journey he spent a week with the Callanish Society ... a group that support people with cancer. This experience changed Martin it opened his heart and his mind.

Martin requests that if you make any donations please donate to:

The Callanish Society
on line at callanish.org. Donations.aspx

Callanish Society
2277 10th Ave. W.
Vancouver, BC V6K 2J1
604-732-0633

The Nature Trust of BC
on line or
260-1000 Roosevelt Cres
North Vancouver, BC V7P 3R4
(604) 924-9771

from Amy

Things here in Pemberton are intense, but in a calm way. The doctor was here yesterday, and although I wasn't here at the time, she said that it is not a matter of months, but rather weeks, or possibly less. Everyone was upset by this diagnosis. Marty and I were talking later in the evening and he expressed that he was envious that I have plans and hopes for the future and that he probably only has a few weeks left of hopes.  It was a sad moment.  I am trying to be present with Marty when I am with him, and it is difficult and complicated.  Sometimes when I think he is talking non-sensibly, I humor him a bit and ask questions in order to fall his thought process, and sometimes I discover that he is speaking metaphorically about life and his experience, like he is trying to tell me something from far away.

Marty is now on oxygen most of the time, and is blood oxygen saturation level drops low when he is not on it. He is only awake occasionally, and even then, he usually keeps his eyes closed. He talks but is only sometimes coherent, and he is easily confused and disoriented when he awakens.
He does not seem to be in any pain, and he has not had any coughing fits since we started the oxygen yesterday. Until a few days ago he was eating a lot, but now he is only eating a little. Though he is still eating lots of strawberries.

Marty is still sometimes uncomfortable with the fact that he needs a lot of help.  And he is not comfortable with the idea that he is putting other people out.  I know he would rather do the helping and the giving, but we are happy to be able to help him and make his time pleasant and comfortable. 

Changing conditions

The month of May was Good! It's the best we have seen Martin since we came the beginning of March to spend time with him. We planted the garden and Martin has enjoyed going down to do some of the watering and to see it beginning to sprout. We visited the landing zone for the paragliders where Martin was able to visit with a lot of his flying buddies. We made a couple of visits to Vancouver for some appointments. We have had lots of visits from friends and family, and a few dinners out. We are all so fortunate to have had this time to spend together.

This past week we have seen some changes in Martin. Pain continues to be a challenge, we are always monitoring and adjusting. There has been some more coughing, and more difficulty breathing so we now have an oxygen concentrator to make it a little easier. The palliative nurse tells us to watch for signs of seizures. The family doctor came for a visit on Saturday and had a long talk with us all. She told us that Martin may have weeks and perhaps only days but certainly not months! It was a very emotional day for us all. As parents it is so devastating to watch and we could not cope without help from Carolyn and Amy! Two very exceptional young ladies who provide Martin with so much love and support. We are eternally greatful for their help!
Anne (MOM)