Dino's services were yesterday and it was wonderful to be around all who loved him (and that's A LOT of people). It was truly beautiful. I was struck by the many facets of his family life that I didn't know. I've always fancied myself a close friend of his, but I'm realizing that I really didn't know his family all that well and I'm saddened that it's happening under these circumstances. For instance, who knew the depth of the musical talent of the Scoppettone family? Who knew that Dino had the strongest most graceful parents in the world? Who knew Nick was so tender and wise? Why did I not know these things? It makes me think - could I have been a better friend? I am not going to punish myself, and I know Dino would not want me to, but I know, it's not too late to learn more about the people who helped make Dino who he was, his family.
A subject that came up yesterday was the concept of the nickname. Dino gave EVERYONE a nickname. Funny thing, 20 years and I had no nickname. At times he called me "andrea", but that doesn't count. My husband Tucker, who Dino had only known for about 5 years was assigned a nickname, "BVT" for Barron Von Tuckulous. I think it would be fun if people who are reading this (if anyone is reading this) will post their assigned Dino nickname. This will keep us smiling as the dust settles from this emotional roller coaster.
I felt sad leaving Santa Cruz today. It felt lonely getting on the airplane and distancing myself from all the wonderful people who knew and loved him. Now I'm back home, still sad, still shocked, still wondering how to go on so I thought the nickname thing would be fun.
I'll keep posting about my training and fundraising. Let's all stay in touch ok? Perhaps one purpose of Dino's passing was to put all of us together.
As for my training, I have done a couple of "long runs" but I'm a week or so behind in my training. I have not had the energy to push passed the hard parts like I normally do (I'm a bit of a freak when in comes to these things). Needless to say, I have some catching up to do. I am going to use the time to connect with my friend - think about him, talk to him, etc...
You are all in my prayers, stay strong, and look for him in every beautiful sunset that you see. I do believe he's everywhere. Peace and love.
Andi
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A battle lost
It is with profound sadness that I say goodbye to a dear friend. Dino lost his battle with cancer Monday night at about 8:45. He was surrounded by family and friends. I arrived at the hospital 10 minutes too late. While every one's first reaction has been "I'm so sorry you missed him", his family (and I'm not even sure how yet) knew I was coming. His soon to be sister in law, Amber met me in the hallway and asked "are you Andi - he knew you were coming. You were the last one". His dad indicated the same thing. As if Dino was waiting until I was near before he could end this journey, and move on to the next. I'll never know if this is true, of course, but it brings me some peace - thinking that he was waiting for me. I was able to hold his hand, tell him I love him, and how much he will be missed. I promised him that through stories, my children will know him, and that he was just too big for this world. Why is it that we don't say these heartfelt things to people we love while we have the chance. I am going to change that.
I'm deeply saddened. I am unable to sleep, and I'm a little zombie-like at the moment. I wonder how to go on from here. I imagine that most of you probably knew this news already, either from Dino's blog or his mom's email. If you didn't know Dino, please go to his blog: http://www.dinosjourney.blogspot.com/ and read his dad's entry "I'll know what to say" and read the 41 comments from friends. You'll know him a little better. It's made me cry every time, but I love to read other people's experiences with him. He was such a great person - also one who would drive you crazy, but in a good way. Every time I had a question about ANYTHING, I call Dino, whether it's a song lyric that I don't know, or a sports questions. That guy was like my personal Wikipedia!
I have every intention of running this marathon...for me...for Dino...for Dino's family. I am not sure what happens to all of his medical bills at this time, but I am still going to send every cent raised to his family. Sadly this has become a true "memorial fund". Please read my entry "money money money" for details.
For now, I feel like something is crushing the breath from my chest. I have to learn how to breathe again. There is pain with every inhalation, but that will pass in time - I know. I will remember him always, and miss him daily. He was a friend, a brother, a confidant, and a fighter. My life will not be the same - ever! I will pray for him, I will pray for his family, and his circle of friends. If you are reading this, could you do the same? I wouldn't mind a prayer myself - perhaps for strength? I would appreciate it. I don't expect people to post comments, but I would love to read them if you do.
Love to all - do it for Dino!
God Bless
Andi
I'm deeply saddened. I am unable to sleep, and I'm a little zombie-like at the moment. I wonder how to go on from here. I imagine that most of you probably knew this news already, either from Dino's blog or his mom's email. If you didn't know Dino, please go to his blog: http://www.dinosjourney.blogspot.com/ and read his dad's entry "I'll know what to say" and read the 41 comments from friends. You'll know him a little better. It's made me cry every time, but I love to read other people's experiences with him. He was such a great person - also one who would drive you crazy, but in a good way. Every time I had a question about ANYTHING, I call Dino, whether it's a song lyric that I don't know, or a sports questions. That guy was like my personal Wikipedia!
I have every intention of running this marathon...for me...for Dino...for Dino's family. I am not sure what happens to all of his medical bills at this time, but I am still going to send every cent raised to his family. Sadly this has become a true "memorial fund". Please read my entry "money money money" for details.
For now, I feel like something is crushing the breath from my chest. I have to learn how to breathe again. There is pain with every inhalation, but that will pass in time - I know. I will remember him always, and miss him daily. He was a friend, a brother, a confidant, and a fighter. My life will not be the same - ever! I will pray for him, I will pray for his family, and his circle of friends. If you are reading this, could you do the same? I wouldn't mind a prayer myself - perhaps for strength? I would appreciate it. I don't expect people to post comments, but I would love to read them if you do.
Love to all - do it for Dino!
God Bless
Andi
Friday, August 15, 2008
Money money money
Hi everyone.
I finally opened an account for Dino. I tried to open one through Bank of America - because that is where Dino banks, but I ran into some obstacles. First off, they would allow me to open a "charitable account" but I would have been the only person who could do any transactions. That means you would all have to send checks to me and I would make all deposits. If I opened a regular checking/savings, it would have been in my name and checks would have to be written out to me.
Anyway, I opened the account at Wells Fargo. To make a donation, go to any Wells Fargo branch and tell the teller you need to deposit money to a *Memorial Fund*. The name of the account is "The Dino Scoppettone Donation Fund" (in that order). If you have accounts through Wells Fargo, you can transfer money online, but you will need the account number. You can contact me for this information @ 206-706-3217, or email me @ andiklove@gmail.com. Also, you can send me a check and I can deposit it. You can make checks out to Dino Scoppettone or Dino Scoppettone donation fund. My address is 2807 NW 61st St, Seattle WA 98107. Please don't do anything until Monday August 18th - the account was JUST opened and it will likely take a couple of days to activate the account.
I feel really good about this. Think of the burden that will be lifted from Dino and his family knowing that there is some financial help out there for them through all of this. Please spread the word!
Thanks everyone. Do it for Dino!
XOXO
Andi
I finally opened an account for Dino. I tried to open one through Bank of America - because that is where Dino banks, but I ran into some obstacles. First off, they would allow me to open a "charitable account" but I would have been the only person who could do any transactions. That means you would all have to send checks to me and I would make all deposits. If I opened a regular checking/savings, it would have been in my name and checks would have to be written out to me.
Anyway, I opened the account at Wells Fargo. To make a donation, go to any Wells Fargo branch and tell the teller you need to deposit money to a *Memorial Fund*. The name of the account is "The Dino Scoppettone Donation Fund" (in that order). If you have accounts through Wells Fargo, you can transfer money online, but you will need the account number. You can contact me for this information @ 206-706-3217, or email me @ andiklove@gmail.com. Also, you can send me a check and I can deposit it. You can make checks out to Dino Scoppettone or Dino Scoppettone donation fund. My address is 2807 NW 61st St, Seattle WA 98107. Please don't do anything until Monday August 18th - the account was JUST opened and it will likely take a couple of days to activate the account.
I feel really good about this. Think of the burden that will be lifted from Dino and his family knowing that there is some financial help out there for them through all of this. Please spread the word!
Thanks everyone. Do it for Dino!
XOXO
Andi
Friday, August 8, 2008
The next stage...
Hi everyone.
I am finally writing with some good news. For those of you not following Dino's blog (which is dinosjourney.blogspot.com) I finally have some promising news. Dino has started chemo - which is GREAT news. From his blog, it sounds like the first day went well. He is not expecting that he will feel this good throughout the entire treatment; however. Who knows though? He had a tough go of it for a while. They were going to start his chemo through a port a cath, but they didn't insert it due to high BP and high white cell count. Instead, they administered the "cocktail" through a regular IV line. Anyway, it's in him blowing this cancer away, which is the most important thing right now.
As for me - I have an 11-12 mile run coming up this weekend. I haven't run since the 10 miler due to a slight case of mastitis. I'm weaning my youngest from breastfeeding, and I guess it's a pretty common problem when weaning. So yeah, I had a boobie infection. Now you all know me a little better. Anyway, I'm rocking the antibiotics and feeling back to normal. I bet you are all happy I told you that.
Lets talk fundraising. I am waiting on a couple more pieces of info from Dino to open an account through BofA . Check back tomorrow and I should have it done. If you're a BofA customer, you can transfer money online (I will post the account #) and if not, you can go to any location and make a deposit. You can also send me a check and I'll deposit it for you.
My address is 2807 NW 61st Street, Seattle WA 98107. Dino's last name is spelled Scoppettone. I feel really positive about this. Good things are happening. It's about time, huh?
Thanks for reading! Do it for Dino!
Andi
I am finally writing with some good news. For those of you not following Dino's blog (which is dinosjourney.blogspot.com) I finally have some promising news. Dino has started chemo - which is GREAT news. From his blog, it sounds like the first day went well. He is not expecting that he will feel this good throughout the entire treatment; however. Who knows though? He had a tough go of it for a while. They were going to start his chemo through a port a cath, but they didn't insert it due to high BP and high white cell count. Instead, they administered the "cocktail" through a regular IV line. Anyway, it's in him blowing this cancer away, which is the most important thing right now.
As for me - I have an 11-12 mile run coming up this weekend. I haven't run since the 10 miler due to a slight case of mastitis. I'm weaning my youngest from breastfeeding, and I guess it's a pretty common problem when weaning. So yeah, I had a boobie infection. Now you all know me a little better. Anyway, I'm rocking the antibiotics and feeling back to normal. I bet you are all happy I told you that.
Lets talk fundraising. I am waiting on a couple more pieces of info from Dino to open an account through BofA . Check back tomorrow and I should have it done. If you're a BofA customer, you can transfer money online (I will post the account #) and if not, you can go to any location and make a deposit. You can also send me a check and I'll deposit it for you.
My address is 2807 NW 61st Street, Seattle WA 98107. Dino's last name is spelled Scoppettone. I feel really positive about this. Good things are happening. It's about time, huh?
Thanks for reading! Do it for Dino!
Andi
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Running buddies
Hello everyone. Once again, I wish I had good news to give you about Dino, unfortunately things are moving slowly. He had is pain pump put in on Wednesday. It was set intentionally low and the docs were planning on ramping it up slowly as needed. So initially, he did not have much relief. I have not heard anything else since that time. Hopefully, Dino is off all off the pills, getting some sleep, eating, and (excuse me for saying so), pooping like a champ. His bowel obstruction/constipation has been a BIG issue since his surgery. I can't imagine the misery....
I have an official running partner. My great friend Jeff Ramos is going to do the race with me. Today we ran about 10 miles, 102 minutes. It felt good to have a running partner. Jeff and I went to high school, then to college and now we live in Seattle, together. Needless to say, we have been through a lot. Jeff is also great friends with Dino. He was in a fraternity with Matt, Carlos, and Andrew, 3 of Dino's best friends. Our group of friends have embarked on many an adventure. Anyway, Jeff has committed to run with me. He is incredible. He's one of those people who will not run AT ALL during the week, then just go out and pound out 9-10 miles. Last night he went out, had several drinks and gracefully showed up at my house around 8:45 to run 10 miles. Amazing. It was so nice to have a partner. We talked about Dino A LOT and visualized him meeting us at the finish line in October. It may sound cheesy, but it helps.
Please say your prayers and send your good vibes. I am praying that getting off of all the pills with help him function more normally, get some sleep, regain his appetite and strength, and eventually start chemo. He needs to beat this bastard disease!
God Bless. Do it for Dino!
Andi
I have an official running partner. My great friend Jeff Ramos is going to do the race with me. Today we ran about 10 miles, 102 minutes. It felt good to have a running partner. Jeff and I went to high school, then to college and now we live in Seattle, together. Needless to say, we have been through a lot. Jeff is also great friends with Dino. He was in a fraternity with Matt, Carlos, and Andrew, 3 of Dino's best friends. Our group of friends have embarked on many an adventure. Anyway, Jeff has committed to run with me. He is incredible. He's one of those people who will not run AT ALL during the week, then just go out and pound out 9-10 miles. Last night he went out, had several drinks and gracefully showed up at my house around 8:45 to run 10 miles. Amazing. It was so nice to have a partner. We talked about Dino A LOT and visualized him meeting us at the finish line in October. It may sound cheesy, but it helps.
Please say your prayers and send your good vibes. I am praying that getting off of all the pills with help him function more normally, get some sleep, regain his appetite and strength, and eventually start chemo. He needs to beat this bastard disease!
God Bless. Do it for Dino!
Andi
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