Prayers for EllenitaB!!!

[Christine]

Everyone, Ellen just posted on another thread that we frequent that her son's father died of a heart attack last night at the age of 51. They are going to be traveling to Florida.

Please keep her, her son, and their entire family in your thoughts and prayers! I can't think of anyone I've met inside INTERCOT (or outside for that matter) who is sweeter than Ellen. She cares so much for others, and now she could use some care from us!

[crazypoohbear]

I'm so sorry for her and her son. Sending Prayers for the whole family.

[Namine']

I am so sorry for their loss. My thoughts and prayers are with Ellen, her son and her family.

[daparish]

I am so sorry to hear this and will keep them in my prayers.

[hoop de do]

Prayers are going her way. I pray she finds the strength to manage this terrible event. We will all be thinking of her. :grouphug:

[Mickey'sGirl]

I agree. Ellen is a remarkable woman, and my heart goes out to her and her son. :pixie:

[BriarRose0708]

My thoughts and prayers to Ellen and her son. I am very sorry for their loss.

[SBETigg]

Oh! I'm so sorry. I believe they got to spend some time with him on their last trip, which is a good thing. But how sad, so young. I'm thinking of you, Ellen, and your son, through this difficult time.

[mouseketeer mom]

You know how you can get a feel for someone thru these threads? Ellen's replys to me are always warm and fuzzy, I look forward to reading any response she gives me! I will keep them close in my thoughts, what a terrible time for their family.

[merlinmagic4]

Oh no. I am so sorry, Ellen. I am thinking of you and especially your son. He has been through a lot in his young life; this is really sad news.

[Jeremy]

I am so sorry to hear about this.
prayers and pixie dust on the way!

:pixie::pixie::pixie:

[Nascfan]

Ellen, one of our JQ buddies, we love you. My prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to you and your son. Travel safe, loads of :pixie: on the way.

[mtown71]

Ellen, My heart & prayers go out to you & your family. Many hugs, prayers & pixie dust on the way!!!!

[disneydeb]

Ellen is a dear person. My prayers go out to her and her son at this sad time. God Bless you and your son with comfort, Ellen.

[alpro2]

Ellen - I am so sorry for you and Ben. You are in my thoughts.

[DisneyorBust]

Ellen...our thoughts and prayers are with you.

[conorsmom2000]

oh Ellen, I am so very sorry - you, Ben and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. We are all here for you during this sad time. :(

[Melanie]

Ellen, this is such a terrible thing. :( I'm so very sorry Ben and yourself are having to go through this. Safe travels! :hug:

[Piglet822]

Ellen, you and Ben are in my thoughts and prayers :hug: This is such a shock! My sympathies and condolences.

[MsMin]

I am deeply saddened by this news. Sending hugs, pixie dust and prayers for you and Ben. You are one person that if I could carry some of your burden I would:( you and Ben have both been through so much. Sending as much love and warmth as possible through this little box to comfort you both in this time of loss. You touch the lives of many here and may you draw strength from the many lives you have touched. God Bless :angel: :hug:

[Here we go again...]

Oh Ellen... I just don't know what to say. I know that Ben has been such a strong little man for you, but I know this is going to be hard for him.
My prayers are with you both. No one should have to deal with so many things at one time.

It is too late to call tonight, but I am going to call you to check on you guys. In the mean time, know that we are all here for you.
:grouphug:

[mrsgaribaldi]

I'm so sorry Ellen. I remember your trip reports and I'm so glad that he was there. Prayers and :pixie::pixie::pixie::pixie:on the way for you and Ben.

[disneydrmr]

:hug: Ellen - you, Ben and all the family have my deepest sympathies! We are definitly thinking of you. We love you! :grouphug:

[offwego]

Ellen, I can only hope and pray that the support your getting sent to Ben and yourself in some small way helps you through this time of crisis and know that it will be here for you in the months (and years) to come as you and Ben deal with this loss.

Theres a long poem about footprints that I always think of at these times, know that both God and your friends are here to help carry you through these dark moments.

[Mr. Tom Morrow]

My condolences to you and Ben Ellen :(

[aprilisis]

:( Ellen, I am so sorry for your loss. :pixie: for you & Ben. :grouphug:

[BrerGnat]

I'm very sorry to hear about this. Ellen seems like such a wonderful person, and although I've never met her, I feel like she is a close friend.

Prayers and pixie dust go out to her and her son while they deal with this sad event. :(

[RedSoxFan]

Ellen, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. You and Ben will be in my prayers. God Bless.

[Beach Club Babe]

Ellen my heart is breaking for you and Ben! My sincere condolences on your loss!

[dlpmikki]

:hug::hug: for Ellen and Ben. I will keep thinking of them and hope they can both get through this.

[lovewalt]

Oh Ellen ,I'm so sorry to hear this sad news.You and Ben will be in my thoughts and have my sincerest sympathies and condolences.:hug:

[pogo]

My deepest condolences to Ellen and Ben.

She is a very important part of Intercot and has helped many of us with her spunk, witt, and kind words. :thumbsup:

Ellen and Ben will be in my thoughts and prayers. :(

Thank you Christine for bringing this to our attention. :hug:

[Dsnygirl]

:hug: Ellen, you know I am thinking of you and Ben so much right now - I hope you are safely in Miami as I type. I am so sorry this happened - please give Ben an extra hug and know you are in our thoughts and prayers. :hug:

[Piglet822]

I just spoke to Ellen. She and Ben arrived safely in Miami, after a very turbulent flight :sick:
They are scheduled to fly back home tomorrow afternoon at 5. The viewing is scheduled at 1. Hopefully they will both be able to say their goodbyes to Ben's dad before they head out.
Please continue to keep them in your prayers and :pixie: can only help.
Thanks, everyone! Y'all are the best :grouphug:
:rocks:

[Christine]

Thanks Jeanne! I appreciate you keeping us posted. I have been worried sick about them and will keep praying very hard!

[Katzateer]

Hope the flight home is uneventful and not so rough . Our thoughts and prayers to you and Ben :hug:

[Mousefever]

Ellen, I'm so sorry that you and Ben are going through more difficult times. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

[vizsla]

Prayers and :pixie: on the way.

[Jeri Lynn]

My sincere condolences for Ellen and her son, how very sad.

Prayers are being said and sent for Ellen's family.

[Terra]

Oh goodness....my heart goes out to them...

Many thoughts and prayers sent!

[offwego]

Jeanne thanks for the update. I hope they have an easier flight home, that's the last thing they need right now.

I hope Ben gets the time he needs to pay his respects. We are all still thinking of you and Ben Ellen.:pixie::pixie::pixie:

[ElenitaB]

I can't thank all of you enough for your kind words (many of which have brought out the good cry as opposed to the ugly cry), thoughts, prayers, and pixie dust. I truly know that I have an Intercot family and appreciate you all so much.

As Jeanne said, we had a very rough flight down to Fort Lauderdale (after around 20 minutes of jostling, the more severe jostling and drops began, at which point I said to Ben, "okay, this just isn't fun anymore" and we both laughed which was the first laugh we had had since we heard the news). It was pouring when we got there and, of course, I hadn't packed umbrellas (I guess I'm hard wired for months of planning and not throwing things in a suitcase at the last minute). Our hotel was right across the street from Bayside Market Place in Miami, so that was nice. Ben got to eat at his favorite restaurant (Bubba Gump's). We walked around for a while and then the first "best thing" that has come out of this whole experience happened: Ben finally got to meet one of his three sisters, an event he has waited for his whole life. (It's a long, semi-sordid story... the stuff of novels and soap operas.) I hadn't seen her since she was two and she is now a tall, beautiful 18 yr old. Thursday was a bureaucratic nightmare of getting legal papers in order at a foreign consulate (so his remains can leave Miami and be buried in his homeland), going to not one but two funeral homes (one in which they just had to see me —the widow— and get my address), go back to the lawyer's to sign the powers of attorney (one for here and one for there), and then go off to the downtown location of the funeral home for the viewing. I wish Ben's first encounter with death hadn't been with his own father. I do give many thanks to God that he had that time with his dad in Disney in November. It would have been terrible for him to have passed without that. As it turns out, he had been to Central America in April, so he saw all his children before this happened.

So far Ben has taken this much better than me. Only time will tell, of course (hopefully, I won't have too many therapist bills for him in the future ;) ). It just pains me as his mom that this child has had to bear so much in his short life, starting with my cancer diagnosis when he was still in kindergarten. I can only hope and trust that God is forging a strong child for something wonderful in the future. Right now, he's seeking "normal" with all his might, but I will share your thoughts with him and they will form part of the memory book I'll be making about his dad for him. There is so much he doesn't know about the man I fell in love with and who gave him life.

Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart. :hug:

[Here we go again...]

Ellen,
I wish I knew the right words to say...

I woke up a few minutes ago and thought "I wonder how Ben and Ellen are". I was so happy to turn on the computer and see your post.
I agree with you that God must have a plan for Ben. No one can be exposed to all he has seen in his short life and not come away a very strong person.

I know you said that it looks like Ben is taking it better than you. I worry that he might be scared to show his true emotions with what you are dealing with right now. Has he opened up and talked about his father since his death?

I will keep the prayers coming for both of you. Please let Ben know how special we all think he is.
Iots of thoughts, Prayers, :pixie: and :hug: coming your way.

[SBETigg]

Ellen, not to worry-- everyone comes from a different kind of normal. You seem to have a wonderful, close relationship with Ben. He sounds like an incredible kid. I think he's going to grow into one amazing man. Best wishes to you.

[Terra]

Ellen,
Thanks so much for the update!
I had been thinking of you guys..
You strength in the Good Lord is awesome!!!
I pray that Ben continues in his strength as well as he grieves for his father...

On another note...
EEEKKSS on the plane ride...I have a major phobia of planes...I can't even go into an airport without having a bit of an axiety attack!
That would have just sent me over the edge!!!

[mrsgaribaldi]

Ellen, don't worry about Ben, he has an amazing role model. He will grown into an adult than can handle anything:mickey:
More prayers and :pixie::pixie::pixie::pixie:on the way for you both.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

Ellen, my sympathies to you and Ben. How tragic that he passed away so young.

[TheDuckRocks]

Ellen, I am so sorry to hear this news. My thoughts and prayers are with both you and Ben during this time.

[DisneyDudet]

Ellen,
I've been thinking of you and Ben.

I am very sorry for your loss. I read your reports about Ben and his spending time with his dad in November. That will truly be a memory he will not forget.

I pray for strength for the both of you to get to a new normal. You will never be the same, but you can find a new place for both of you.

Pixie Dust is on the way.

See you in October.

Morgan

[murphy1]

Oh, Ellen, I am so very sorry for you and Ben! I have been in Florida for about three weeks, so I heard about this when I saw Terra a week ago in Lake Wales and I have been thinking of you guys and praying for you! I know Ben has an amazing mother in you and you are greatly helping him through this difficult time.