Knott's Service was WONDERFUL!!

The Memorial for Sandy at Knott's Berry Farm last night was incredible. It was a beautiful service that included 2 slide shows, a live band of Sandy's friends and several speakers that were close to Sandy. It was held in the Charles Shultz theater and several hundred people attended.

We want to thank all of the Knott's family for a wonderful tribute to Sandy; and for all of those talented people that made it all happen. We know why Sandy loved working at Knott's all those years: you are all such wonderful and amazing people. Thank you.

Tawnda and Dave Perry

---some highlights linked below:
Bobby Albright tells a Sandy story

Cassie sings a song for Sandy

Craig tells a funny Sandy story

Sandy's Bodyguard

Purple Rain

Sandy Memorial at Knott's

It official: The date for the Sandy memorial at Knott's Berry Farm has been scheduled for Monday, October 4th.
Follow on Facebook or see details below.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151525161536979

Monday, October 4, 2010

7:00pm - 8:00pm

Charles M. Schultz Theater, Knott's Berry Farm

8039 Beach Blvd.

Buena Park, CA

You are invited to a celebration of the life of Sandy Graham. This is an open invite to all who knew Sandy, family, friends and fans, so please feel free to share this invitation. Please be sure to RSVP so that we can ensure the venue meets the capacity of those attending.

Please wear purple and black, as those were Sandy's favorite colors!

Out of respect for the venue, the following rules will apply:
- NO CHILDREN under 18 will be permitted to attend.
- NO SMOKING will be permitted inside the park.
- NO ALCOHOL or illegal substances will be permitted inside the park.
- Please DO NOT BRING loose glitter into the venue.

Parking will be permitted in the grass lot next to the employee lot, located on Western between La Palma and Crescent. Lot will open at 5:30pm. Please enter through the Western gates. Gates will open at 6:30pm. Service will begin promptly at 7:00pm, so please be on time.

If you have pictures you would like to share, please email them to magicstitches101@gmail.com.

If you have any questions about the ceremony, please email them to sandymemorial@gmail.com.

Remembering Sandy

Here is a slide show in loving memory of Sandy.

Memorial Update

Due to the overwhelming response we have received from all of the people that would like to attend Sandy's memorial service, we are still searching for the right venue and appropriate date.
The services will most likely be the last week of September or the first week or October.

Memorial Services

We're trying to finalize memorial services for Sandy. We have had such a response from all of her wonderful friends, that we need a place large enough for everyone to attend. We are looking into a few options at Knott's Berry Farm and are hoping to hear something soon. We are tentatively planning for the end of September of beginning of October.

Thanks to everyone who has emailed, called and wrote such nice things on this blog.

Sandy Passes

On Sunday night at 11:20 pm. Sandy passed away here at our home. She was asleep and was in no pain or discomfort. Thank you to everyone for your love and support. Sandy will truly be missed.

Queen Sandy

On thursday, Sandy was having trouble taking her medicine without choking.
On Friday, Sandy was having trouble eating and drinking without choking.
I called Hospice on Friday morning and they sent over a nurse who evaluated Sandy and advised us that Sandy's body is starting to shut down. They have told us not feed her or give her liquids anymore because there is a good chance that she could choke to death and that would be a traumatic and horrible way to go. She is currently resting very peacefully, not in any pain. The nurse told us that it could be any day, and probably not more than 3 weeks.

Scavenger Hunt -Sunday AUG. 29th

Christine (Syren) has planned a great benefit for Sandy. It's a scavenger hunt that will take place at DisneyLand, this Sunday, AUG 29th. Check in time is 9am in the picnic area next to security check point. Cost is $20 donation for the scavenger hunt. Entrance to the park is separate.
Contact Syren: ScareMyFriend@phobia1.com to register right away!

Please copy and paste the link below for more details. It sounds like a lot of fun!
http://phobia1.com/Queen Sandy.html

I Believe In Sandy Claus shirts FUNDRAISER

Hi everyone,

For anyone who hasn't yet ordered an "I Believe in Sandy Claus" shirt, you can still do so. Just e-mail Cassie at sharingadream@gmail.com. She'll get your size, address, etc. and let you know how to pay for it. See a closer view on the right column of this blog.

Pictures from Elaine

Elaine and several others visited last week and Elaine has sent us some pictures from a past party, Sandy in full fairy make up, and of the visit here at our home.

Update on Sandy

Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog. Things have been very busy around here. Bobby Albright and his wife Kasia came to visit last week and he wrote a little bit about his visit with Sandy. You'll find that below. If anyone has time and would like to send me an e-mail about your visits with Sandy, I'll post them also. I think it'll help everyone to be more informed about how Sandy's doing. Thank you Bobby for doing this and thank you to all of you for just being the amazing people you are!

BOBBY: On Sunday, August 8th, Kasia and I stopped by to visit Sandy. She was weak due to the medication she is on. Her left side isn't functioning well at the moment but her grip with her right hand was strong as she held our hands, squeezed, and rubbed as pulled them in close to her face as if to give us a kiss on the top of the hand. She looked at us with her beautiful eyes with a message of love which she always has. Her ability to speak has diminished, but she can still say a few soft words. I was telling a story to her family about a joke I played on her at haunt. She squeezed my hand and everyone heard her give me a pffff! as if to poke me. We all broke into laughter and she cracked a smile. As we left after a couple of hours of visiting, She pulled my hand in close again and gave a big squeeze up next to her face not wanting to let go. Bobby Albright

Sandy's Condition

Sandy's condition has not changed after getting some rest the past 2 days. Sometimes she's able to answer me when I speak to her and sometimes not. The nurses and doctor can't tell me how much longer she has, but they have told me that the tumor has probably grown within the last few days, which is causing her to have more severe symptoms. This happened much quicker than we all had expected. Although Sandy has a hard time speaking right now, and is very weak, she is still very much aware of when people are around her and knows who they are. So anyone who is able to make it out here can still come and visit Sandy. It defenitely brightens up her day to have visitors. Unfortunately I can't predict how much longer Sandy will be aware of her surroundings, so if you're planning on visiting it should probably be as soon as possible. Our address is 23594 Underwood Circle, Murrieta, CA 92562. ph.# (310) 480-7514 and e-mail is tawnda@verizon.net.

Update on Sandy

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long to get an update to all of you. It's been hard for me to find time to keep up with everything. Sandy is on a lot of different medications, one is steroids which helps to reduce the swelling in her brain. Unfortunately the steroids also makes her muscles very weak and also just makes her very, very tired. It takes two people to assist her in walking and then she can only take a couple of steps. It's becoming more difficult to transport her from one place to another, but not impossible. As long as Sandy's is up to it and it makes her happy, I will try to get her out of the house to any events that come up. Sandy for the most part has been in a good mood and definitely has not lost her sense of humor. I did notice something that just started a few hours ago that's worrying me. She seems to be having difficulty in talking and it's taking her a lot longer to answer me when I ask her a question. She had to stay in an assisted living place over the weekend so that we could take our son to cub scout camp and I'm hoping that maybe she just didn't get alot of rest there and she's just really tired today. I'll see how she is after a good nights sleep tonight and will post another update tomorrow to let everyone know how she's doing. Thank you to all of you! This is a very scary time right now for us and knowing that you're all out there sending love and good thoughts our way makes it a little easier.

Sandy being released Friday

Hello everyone,
We just found out this afternoon that Sandy will be released Friday (today) evening 7-16-2010 from Torrance Harbor Medical. She will be coming back home with us for the time being. Her condition is still the same, but this is what the doctor has decided. Sorry if you were planning on visiting Sandy, we thought she was going to stay until Monday.

We were at the hospital for over 24 hours waiting and seeing lots of different doctors before we were told what was going on with Sandy. They took a CAT scan that showed lots of swelling which means the tumor is growing back. Most of the doctors have told me that Sandy has a 12 months at the most to live. Although there were some who said that they will not put a time on how long Sandy lives and want to try a couple more medications. One doctor did say it could be 1 to 2 years. I'm sorry I didn't have better news to be giving you right now. I've admitted Sandy into Harbor UCLA in Torrance for a few day. They'll continue to do tests and help me to figure things out. After that, if things go the way I'd like them to, she'll come back home with me. Please go and visit her if you are able. She's on the 4th floor, East, room 13D. One more thing, Sandy does not know that the tumor has grown back or any of the details. I believe in positive thinking doing wonders for the body so as far as she knows, she's there to get some tests done but everything is okay. Thanks again for all the love and support. I'm going to be leaving for the hospital pretty soon. I'll try to keep up with the blog as much as possible and try to keep everyone informed.

Hi everyone,

About a day before Sandy's last doctor's appointment which was on June 29th, Sandy started having a little harder time walking and seemed to be a little off balanced. The doctor felt it could be from her out patient physical therapy not starting yet. Since then she has continued to get a little worse every day. In the last couple of days her thought process and her speech seems to be getting worse also. Her next appointment is on the 27th of this month but we're making lots of phone calls today to see if we can get her in earlier. I've e-mailed her Oncologist doctor for advise and he told me that the kind of tumor Sandy has is very bad and is at stage 4. Although they did get all the tumor out, the bed that the tumor lived in still remains and that alone can cause the tumor to grow back. Of course everyone including the doctors felt that there was plenty of time before the tumor would grow back since the last time it took 12 years. I'm not sure what's going on with Sandy yet and I'm definitely not giving up! I will be posting a new blog everyday to keep everyone informed of how Sandy's doing. Thank you for all the e-mails that have been sent. Please keep them coming, it really lifts her spirits.

Scavenger Hunt Benefit For Sandy

Hi everyone,

Christine (Syren) is planning and organizing a great benefit for Sandy. It's a scavenger hunt that will take place at Disney Land. Please copy and paste the link below for more details. It sounds like a lot of fun!
http://phobia1.com/Queen Sandy.html

Sandy's Dr's Appointment

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been taking me so long to update the blog. Hopefully things will be settling down a bit around here soon and I'll be able to keep up with it better.
I know everyone's been waiting to hear how Sandy's been doing. We had doctor's appointments on Monday and yesterday to see if Sandy would be able to receive radiation or not. The doctors have decided that it would be too dangerous for her since she had so much after the first surgery. She will be starting chemo probably in a week or two and I believe it will be in pill form. Besides that, Sandy has a very positive attitude and does her exercises every day. I've been printing out all the e-mails that have been coming in and I read them all to Sandy. It always puts a smile on her face so please keep them coming! I'll make sure they all get to her. Thanks again to everyone for all the love and support. Here's a short video of Sandy. tawnda@verizon.net

Update on Sandy

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since the last update. It's been a little crazy around here lately. Sandy's doing good, just a little frustrated at the speed of her recovery. I have no news on her radiation and chemo yet. Her doctor went out of town so we had to re-schedule her appointment for June 29th. I was hoping to attach a little video of Sandy with this blog entry but she wasn't feeling up to it today. She said maybe tomorrow and if so, I'll be posting another blog tomorrow! She did want me to tell all of you thank you for all the love and support you've been giving her. She misses you all very much. I know it's kind of far away, but if anyone wants to come visit you are all welcome! Just call or send me an e-mail to let me know when. My number is (310) 480-7514 and e-mail is tawnda@verizon.net. Thank you again to all of you!

Dinner With Sandy At Fuddruckers

Hi Everyone,

We're taking Sandy to dinner at Fuddruckers in Buena Park this Wednesday, May 26th. We'll be there from 5-9pm. If able to, please come and join us. Below is a link to a flyer to print out and bring with. Fuddruckers will give a percentage of the sales to Sandy for all orders placed with a flyer in hand. I'll have extras with me for those who aren't able to print one out. Thank you and we hope to see you there!
flyer here.

Friday's Dr.'s Appointments

Hi everyone,

We had two appointments on Friday. The first was with the radioligist to see if she would be able to receive radiation and the second was with the Oncologist (basically her primary doctor through all of this). The radioligist has refused to do radiation on Sandy, he thinks it's too dangerous due to the radiation she received 12 years ago. The Oncologist wants to start Sandy on chemo and refuses to give up on the chance that she can get radiation also. He's a good doctor! I'm making phone calls and trying to find medical records that would explain in detail exactly what kind of radiation Sandy received the first time. After the doctor has those in his hands, he'll make a decision on whether she can receive more radiation or not. Sandy's continuing to get stronger. We do physical therapy exercises for both her brain and her body every day. Her balance is getting better, she took a couple of steps by herself yesterday! Thanks again for everyone's support and I will be posting again soon with more updates.

News From The Doctor

Hi everyone,

At the doctor's appointment today we found out that they were able to get ALL of the tumor out! The only thing that still needs to be removed is what they call the "bed" which is where the tumor lived inside Sandy's brain. On Friday we'll find out if Sandy will be able to have radiation to try and get rid of this. If they can, it can stop the tumor from growing back. I know Sandy won't be ready for the Haunt this year, except for maybe a "Sandy Night" if possible, but if all goes well, she'll be ready for Haunt 2011!

Sandy's Getting Stronger!

Hi everyone,

Sandy has been home now for 4 days and she's doing great! We do a lot of physical therapy exercises throughout the day and they're definitely helping her to get stronger. This Wednesday we have a doctor's appointment where we should find out more details about how successful the surgery was. We'll find out how much of the tumor they couldn't remove and also how much radiation she will need. I'll be posting a new blog Wednesday evening to let everyone know what we find out. When you have a chance, please check out Christine's (Syren's) on-line store. She is donating a portion of all sales on her site to Sandy. Her link is: http://www.getmailled.etsy.com/ Thank you to everyone for all the love and support that you've been giving. I know it's helping Sandy get better much much quicker!

Art Show Was A Success!

Hi everyone,

Sorry I don't have time to write much. So much to do before Sandy comes home tomorrow, I can't wait! The Art Show was a great success! They earned over $3700.00 for Sandy. There was so much love and support in the room, it was an amazing feeling! Please click on Rick's link below at Theme Park Adventure to see lots of details and pictures of the Art Show. Thank you to everyone who made this event so successfull!
http://www.themeparkadventurenews.blogspot.com

Sandy's Horseback Riding Trip

Hi everyone,

Here's a picture of Sandy's horsback riding adventure! She had a great time. Sandy has moved rooms again at the hospital, her new phone number is (562) 401-8215. She continues to get better every day. In physical therapy on Thursday we went up a flight of stairs! So far, her release date is still scheduled for Wednesday the 28th. Just a reminder, the art show is tonight! It's at the Knott's Resort Hotel (upstairs from the lobby) from 6pm to 9pm.

Sandy's going horseback riding!

Hi everyone,

Yes, she's going horseback riding! This Monday from 1-4 they're taking some of the patients horseback riding and since Sandy is now able to sit up and balance herself so that she doesn't fall, she gets to go. She'll have a physical therapist on both sides of her holding on to her legs to make sure she is 100% safe.

Thursday Visit

We visited Sandy on Thursday. She was able to come out of her room to see all of us at once. She's looking a little better each day, but she still has very little use of her left arm and left leg. She's wearing a scarf she won in a Bingo game this week. Naturally , it's purple!

Sandy's Progress and Art Show

Every day Sandy is getting a little better. I spent today going to all of her physical therapy sessions with her. Today, with a cane and the therapist helping her to keep balanced, she was able to walk a little bit and go up and down two steps. Sandy's a fighter. She gets very frustrated and a little down on herself sometimes because she doesn't think she's getting better fast enough, but after she finished walking and doing the two steps her eyes lit up, she had the biggest smile on her face and she gave me a big hug. I'm very proud of her, as I know all of you are also.

Tamara has informed me that the date for the Art Show is officially set. It will be Sunday, April 25th from 6pm to 9pm. It's located upstairs from the lobby in The Knott's Resort Hotel. There will be a $3 donation asked at the door. All the art for sale are originals of the artists and will be at lowered price points for this event. 100% of the profit will be given to Sandy as a gift toward her medical bills. Please tell all friends and family. Thank you!

Physical therapy starts at Rancho Los Amigos

Hi everyone,

Sandy started her physical therapy at Rancho Los Amigos yesterday. There's 3 parts to her therapy. 1. helping her with her speech and memory, 2. helping her get more strength in her left arm and leg, and 3. to help her do every day things like brushing her teeth and brushing her hair. Since she's an artist, they're also going to add a recreational therapy where she'll be able to draw and paint. The staff at Rancho Los Amigos is amazing. Sandy's room # is 1032 (bed 2) and by later this afternoon they should have her phone hooked up. Her phone # is (562) 401-8031.

Tuesday Transfer

Today Tawnda is at the Hospital just found out that Sandy is being transferred to a new location for her rehabilitation:
Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center in Downey
www.rancho.org/
7601 E Imperial Hwy Downey, CA 90242 582-401-7111.
She is in the Jacquelin Perry Institute (JPI) between Everest and Erickson streets.

Monday

Hi everyone,

I was trying to make it back to Torrance to visit Sandy this evening but didn't make it. I did talk to her on the phone a couple of times and her voice sounds stronger and clearer. We still have no word from the doctors as to whether they were able to get the entire tumor out. Thanks to Wade and his wife who were able to visit Sandy today, I do have an update. When they first arrived, Sandy seemed a bit dazed and not talking very much, but as the visit went on she became more alert and started talking more. I think having visitors is doing her a world of good! She started a little bit of physical therapy today to help strengthen her left side. Due to normal swelling in the brain from the surgery, it's hard for her to move her left arm and leg. With time and therapy that should and will get better.

Sandy T-Shirt Drive

Knott's Halloween Haunt friends of Sandy have designed a T Shirt Logo of Sandy to help with the enormous costs regarding her surgery. Go to: www.themeparkadventure.com/ to find out more.

Easter Earthquake

During our visit today with Sandy we felt the entire hospital shake back and forth for about 20 seconds. Sandy was in better spirits today and has been able to eat a little more. She is able to speak a little better, but still has very little strength. Sandy is now allowed visitors, and I know it would help to lift her spirits to see some smiling faces.

Sandy Moves to her Room with a View

Today Sandy is resting comfortably in her room. She has a great view of San Pedro and the Bridges to Long Beach. Her room number is 6W12 and she is allowed visitors. She has been getting more rest and gaining more strength, but still has a long ways to go to recovery.

Sandy moved to ICU

April 2nd:
During the night, Sandy was moved from the OR to the ICU for recovery. She began to receive some solid food and water. Her color in her face looked very good, and although she had a hard time speaking, she tried to talk to us as we visited her throughout the day. Her strength was also a little better. The doctors came in and asked her questions to test her memory:
Q: "What's your name?" A: - Sandy
Q: "What year is it?" A: -2010
Q: "Where are you?" A: - Harbor Medical Center
Q: "What are we doing to you here?" A:- Fixing my brain

They plan to move her to her regular room by the end of the day.

Sandy has Surgery

Thursday April 1st.
The surgery was scheduled for 11am but was delayed until a 2 pm start time. At 5:30, we were told that the procedure was nearly done and that the doctors felt that they had gotten all or nearly all of the tumor removed. She'll be getting another MRI tomorrow and we should learn the results of that by Monday. Sandy was kept in the OR until about 9pm when a few visitors were allowed to say "hi" She was awake, but very tired. She recognized people and was able to squeeze people's hands quite tightly.

Sandy Preps for Surgery

Wed, March 31
Sandy has her final MRI before the surgery and is admitted to UCLA Harbor Medical Center. She's feeling very anxious right now as we all are but with all the prayers and good thoughts being sent her way
I know Sandy will be well and strong as ever very soon!

Sandy meets friends before sugery

Tuesday, March 30th:
Sandy and family and many friends from Knott's Berry Farm met at Fuddruckers in Buena Park to wish Sandy the best of luck for her up coming surgery.
(Sandy had had a surgery for brain tumor over 10 years ago and this week she is scheduled for another surgery to remove another tumor that has formed in her brain.) Nearly 50 people attended to show their support.