Go to the Fun. concert

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When Lola first posted #LolasBucketList, a few awesome people contacted me about getting her tickets to a Fun. concert. What they didn’t know is that what she meant was “live long enough to go to the Fun. concert that she got tickets for on her 16th birthday in May”. Tyler and I took care of that for her last night =) It was definitely bittersweet, and I had to choke back the tears, but we had a blast!

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Please bear with me while we are still in the process of unpacking and such. I use my PC for graphic edits, etc. and it has yet to get setup — so I can’t “cross” stuff off of her list until I get my PC up and running.

Lola’s Final Resting Place

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The “book” is Lola’s urn. Every single word/phrase on it embodies all that is Lola. A week before we left for George Mark Lola received a package from our friends in NYC that contained a hot pink/black outfit complete with a tutu, feather boa, beads and sunglasses. While she wasn’t able to wear the outfit, I used it all when I made this shadow box to protect her urn. I know without a doubt that she LOVES it.

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Carve my name in a tree

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The staff at Lola’s previous school (Edna Hill Middle School in Brentwood, CA) carved her name in the tree next to her friend Megan’s bench

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Throw a drink in someone’s face

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Thank you Cyndi and Connie ❤

As you can see, Lola never wanted to hurt a single soul but since it was on #LolasBucketList, she did it anyway (sorta =))!!!

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Watch a Sunrise

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Thank you Tamara for doing this for Lola ❤

Here’s your sunrise baby! All the way from Venice, Italy

#LolasBucketList #LoveLikeLola

The sunrise in Venice, Italy
The sunrise in Venice, Italy

More details on Lola’s Celebration of Life

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More details about Lola’s Celebration of Life:

I am trying to get a “close” headcount on how many people will be coming. Can you please reply to this status or email Erin (mchugh_erin@msn.com) to let her know you will be attending.

For those of you who cannot make it AND in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lola’s memory to one of her favorite organizations:

Stupid Cancer http://stupidcancer.org/
Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation http://www.nvchildrenscancer.org/
St. Baldrick’s Foundation http://www.stbaldricks.org/

Two last things — Purple is Lola’s favorite color and we’d love it if you could wear purple to her celebration. If you would like to say a few words about Lola (or even sing her a song), please let me know and I will set aside time during the celebration for everyone to do so.

Remember to check with Erin first about the potluck that what we are now calling ‪#‎EatingLikeLola‬. The list of her fav foods is in the original post about her celebration.

‪#‎LOVELIKELOLA‬

Lola’s Celebration of Life

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Lola’s Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, September 8th (gotta love these eights!!!) from 1:30p – 4:30p at Cordova Community Center in Rancho Cordova, CA.

Address: 2197 Chase Dr., Rancho Cordova, CA

For those of you who will be flying in, Sacramento International will be your airport (Oakland and/or San Fran is about an hour and a half southwest).

This will be a potluck of all of Lauren’s favorite things and my amazing friend Erin will be coordinating. Below is the list. Please email or call Erin so she can mark stuff off as needed.
Email: mchugh_erin@msn.com
Cell: 925-487-7844

Potluck Food List
Chicken taquitos w/ guacamole
Potstickers w/ chowmein
Cantaloupe
Honey dew melon
Caesar Salad
Grilled shrimp
Granny Smith apples
Chocolate pudding cups
Reese’s sticks
Lasagna
Grapes
Turkey/mayo/avocado sandwiches
Santa Cruz cherry lemonade
Taco Bell Doritos Tacos & bean burritos (w sour cream)

I’d like to thank everyone for all of your messages – I’ve tried over the last few days to read them all.

#LOVELIKELOLA # STAYSTRONG

– Lola’s mom ❤

Always Love Like Lola

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Lola’s eternal soul left this physical world on 8/8 at 8am – which we believe was her way of telling us that she will love us for eternity or infinity. She told me several times that she was not scared and that she was excited to start this next journey, knowing she would be greeted by Megan and Papa Perry and Mimi. While we are incredibly sad (death only sucks for the living), we can feel her joy at being able to dance and run, finally cancer free. She’s already sent us many signs that she will be by our side until we meet again.

She did not want a traditional funeral. We had a very small visitation for a few close friends and our immediate family at George Mark. She was, however, very specific about her Celebration of Life. I don’t have a date or venue yet, but I will post something as soon as I do.

Please remember that Lola would not want us to be sad. She was more worried about us than herself and we have to carry on, making sure that her legacy also lives on, in us.

As you go about your day, remember to always #LOVELIKELOLA

More to come
Xoxo
Peace and Love
– Lola’s mom ❤

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Remember to always LOVE LIKE LOLA

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Lola had her consult yesterday with a phenomenal radiation oncologist at Alta Bates in Berkeley. We made the decision to have her radiation done in the Sacramento area at a facility run by colleagues of Dr. Swift. Our first appointment will be on Tuesday.

As I mentioned on Monday, the tumors in both lungs continue to grow with the right lung pressing on her trachea and vena cava. While on oxygen, her saturation levels are normal, but heart rate is still hovering around 140, sometimes reaching as much as 150, causing anxiety which makes it difficult for her to get a good breath.

As soon as we arrived home yesterday, she started to feel bad again. The four hour drive from the Bay did not help. She was up and down all night with breathing issues. The dry climate and elevation, I believe, are playing a huge part in this, not to mention we are packing to move (THIS WEEKEND!!!) so the stirring up of dust, etc. in the house is not helping either.

This morning she told me that she didn’t want me to care for her anymore and that it was time for me to just be her MOM. As difficult as it is to admit, I feel the same way. We have made the decision to move in to the George Mark Children’s House, a free standing pediatric palliative care facility in the Bay area until the house in Sacramento is ready. Right now, its all about family time and just surrounding each other with as much love as we can. Lola’s dad has been working in Sacramento since April and we have been separated for much too long. This wasn’t our ideal plan, but we are living day to day at this point.

Thank you so much for all your kinds words, prayers, and thoughts. We are so thankful. We love you all ❤

Remember to always  #LOVELIKELOLA