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Zeliemum
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| Posted: Sept 30 2010 at 4:34am | IP Logged
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Hi ladies,
I'm posting this on behalf of Anne. She has just called me after receiving an email earlier tonight about a good friend of hers who you have been praying for Clare Mennis a homeschoooling mum from Brisbane:
"Clare Mennis is a wonderful wife and mother of 4 small boys who was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia".
The email said that she is not expected to live out the night. Her health situation as taken a dramatic turn for the worst and friends and family are asking for urgent prayers.
Here is her FB Page if you would like to let the family know of your prayers other than here on 4Real.
Thank you so much, this would heartbreaking for everyone who has been by her side and praying for her. As well has her beloved children and husband.
Thank you
God Bless
Chemai
UPDATE: Thank you Chemai for the update...I just received a message early this morning (on the feast of St Therese) that Clare passed away very early this morning.
Eternal Rest, grant unto Clare, Oh Lord and may perpetual light shine upon her, may she rest in peace. Amen.
Please pray also for her four small boys and her husband Greg.
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Mother to seven with five in heaven...Spiritualmotherhood for Priests
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molly
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Praying for all who love her.
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Zeliemum
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| Posted: Sept 30 2010 at 4:55am | IP Logged
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This email just came through to my email address from her very good friend Genevieve:
Dearest friends,
Please pray and offer up your little sufferings for my dear friend, Clare Mennis and her family tonight. The doctors have told Greg that they don’t expect her to live through the night.
Thank you all for being such great friends. Give your families an extra hug and kiss tonight. If we are to lose Clare, let us honour her memory by loving our neighbours, especially our family members, more ardently, just as she always has. Remember that the only thing we can take with us when we die is the love we have chosen to give in our lifetimes, even when it’s hard.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. Know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. 1John 4:12, 16
I send this with my love and wish that I could be with you to share this news personally. I’m still praying for a miracle.
May God bless you always.
With love,
Genevieve
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Sept 30 2010 at 6:52am | IP Logged
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I am praying for Clare and her family.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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joann10
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| Posted: Sept 30 2010 at 7:09am | IP Logged
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praying....
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Chris V
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(sigh). I'm so sad to read this. Praying for Clare. Praying for Clare's family. Praying for all those who love her. 
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Chris
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Zeliemum
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| Posted: Sept 30 2010 at 5:56pm | IP Logged
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Anne sorry I missed your call...so sad to hear this!!
It is a beautiful feast day to enter the gates of heaven...especially if Clare had a devotion to St Therese.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, in Thy mercy, to have pity on the soul of Thy handmaid Clare; do Thou, Who hast freed her from the perils of this mortal life, restore to her the portion of everlasting salvation. Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
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Mother to seven with five in heaven...Spiritualmotherhood for Priests
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Mackfam
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Aussieannie wrote:
UPDATE: Thank you Chemai for the update...I just received a message early this morning (on the feast of St Therese) that Clare passed away very early this morning.
Eternal Rest, grant unto Clare, Oh Lord and may perpetual light shine upon her, may she rest in peace. Amen.
Please pray also for her four small boys and her husband Greg.
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So sad. What a long road for this family. My heart hurts for Clare's husband and boys! We'll pray here for the repose of Clare's soul as well as for God's tender and gentle hand of comfort to be with Greg and those boys and all who will so dearly miss Clare! May Our Dear Lord open His Ocean of Mercy to them!
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Jen Mackintosh
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Sept 30 2010 at 7:11pm | IP Logged
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I'm so sorry...and I will be praying.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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molly
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| Posted: Sept 30 2010 at 7:37pm | IP Logged
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I have been praying Anne, I will continue.
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Chari
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I have been praying, too, Anne.
My heart is breaking with yours for her dear little family.
Love and prayers to you, too.
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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stefoodie
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Praying for her soul, and for her grieving family.
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stef
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SeaStar
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Oh- 
Praying for her family. May God rest her soul.
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Zeliemum
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| Posted: Oct 01 2010 at 6:10pm | IP Logged
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I thought you would like to have an update and explanation on Clare's situation and final celebration. Wouldn't it be lovely if all of us at our final end could have beautiful friends like this. May God Bless them all abundently!
"What matters in life is not great deeds but great love...St Therese of Lisieux (The Little Flower)
Dearest friends,
How sad I am to be writing this. Our dear friend, Clare died early this morning (1st October, Feast of St Therese of the Child Jesus) about 1am. My first thought was – Oh no, she didn’t make it, but immediately I knew that she is the one who has made it, who has gone ahead of us to the place where we all long to be. Her life has not ended, only her suffering. She has already endured a Purgatory on earth, offering her suffering for her family, her friends and her country.
Since Clare had her bone marrow transplant on 26 July things went well early but then she experienced some complications and got sepsis, blood poisoning, and spent 6 days in the ICU with heart problems and pneumonia. She recovered well and was discharged on Wed Aug 18 after 4 and a half weeks in hospital. She spent a week at her parent’s house near her home before vomiting and high temperatures put her back in hospital with Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD), essentially the new immune system attacking her gut. The treatment for this was succeeding and she hoped to be home in another week, but she started to get liver problems. She improved initially with treatment, but her condition went suddenly down hill yesterday and they advised her husband, Greg at about 4pm that she would not live through the night. The problem with her liver was also being caused by Graft versus Host disease (which would have killed her in around 3 days) and her lungs were now being attacked. Because they had already treated her with the drug for Graft versus Host disease to address it in the bowel, there was nothing else they could do. Her breathing grew more laboured as her lungs filled with fluid.
She was conscious until the end, gripping a crucifix and praying, talking and joking with her husband, Greg, her children, her parents, various family members, a couple of friends and Fr John Kennedy. Fr Kennedy anointed her and remained with her until the end encouraging her. After she died, he offered Mass for her in the hospital room with Greg and David Ward.
Kara Ward is looking after the children at the moment during the day. She may need some support with providing lunch etc. The children seem to be handling it okay so far after the initial grief and were playing happily today. Christopher (6) and Luke (4) were innocently telling me about her death. On the way home from the hospital Timothy (1) kept babbling Mummy, Mummy, Mummy.
Her husband, Greg is feeling quite devastated and lost. It still seems surreal to him, as it does to me. We can’t quite believe that we won’t see her smiling face again. He is very tired after being up most of the night, although he’s had some sleep today. He spent some time this afternoon at Villa Maria with Joachim (9) praying to the Lord in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Kara is making sure that he eats. He has been trying to be strong for so long – for the children and for Clare – trying to keep his family together.
Clare’s brother, Fr Anthony Dunne arrived in Brisbane this afternoon and will be the main celebrant at the funeral along with several other priests.
I will be organising music at the funeral (Wednesday, 10.30, Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Bage St, Nundah), so if anyone would like to offer their voice to sing for Clare, please get in contact. We will be singing from the choir loft so that will make it easier to sing for her without breaking down. There will be several of us, so if anyone does choke up, the rest will carry on. Greg and Clare’s family are deciding on the hymns (all good, easy to sing) and the readings. Some will come from their wedding – 15 years and one week ago.
I found the readings at Mass today for the Feast of St Therese of the Child Jesus (the Little Flower) very moving. Clare and Greg were married in the Church of the Little Flower.
“Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her all you who love her! Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her! … Like a son comforted by his mother so will I comfort you.” Is 66:10, 13
I would like to give Clare a guard of honour from the other mothers as she leaves the Church for the final time. Perhaps we and any children who are present could hold flowers or pictures the children have made. Felicity drew a beautiful picture today, writing, “I wish Clare was alive.” “Come back Clare” “Come back Clare” “Come back Clare”
The last time I saw Clare, I asked her what she would like for her garden when she came home. She asked for a camellia, so I will buy one for Greg to plant in her garden in her memory.
After the funeral and her burial at Nudgee cemetery there will be a gathering. I’ll let you know where when that is decided
May God bless you and support you in your joys and sorrows,
Genevieve
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Zeliemum
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Just to add. This same Fr John Kennedy turned up 5 years ago to my hospital room out of the blue after my Jonathan was born at 231/2 weeks. He had heard about our premeture birth and first had gone to another hospital that he thought I was in. Through a series of deductions he managed to find me. To my surprise he walked in shared my afternoon tea and then we went and he baptized and Confirmed my little baby who was also stuggling to live. He then 5 months later concelebrated at his funeral.
He is an awesome priest and one I know Clare would have been very calm and secure to be in the hands of.
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shineblue
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Oh, such a moving account....
Praying for her beautiful soul and for all those she dearly loved and cherished.
and many prayers,
Marcia
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St. Ann
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Thank you for sharing Clare's story.
Prayers for her family and friends.
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Stephanie
Wife and mother to Hannah '96, Maria '99, Dorothea '01, Helena '03
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4Real Forums : We Pray to the Lord
Topic: Friend with cancer has passed away
