No more pain
This is undoubtedly the hardest post I will write, but it must be done (this is Tina). My beloved Ken passed away this morning peacefully and his dreaded fight with GBM has now come to an end.
Thank you all for the beautiful comments, support and love you have bestowed upon Ken and me on our journey.
Love,
Tina
55 responses to “No more pain”
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Your thoughts, well-wishes, encouragement and positive vibes are a big help. Financial donations to my fight are welcome as well. Please visit my Donate page for an explanation of how and why donations are helpful.
Meal Train
Sign up to bring us a meal via Meal TrainMEALTRAIN WAS A VERY HELPFUL RESOURCE FOR US BUT NOW IT HAS EVOLVED INTO BRINGING US SPECIFIC UNCOOKED INGREDIENTS BECAUSE of the wtict diet we are on.This is just as valuable to us though..
A glioblastoma journey 
Very Sorry for your loss Tina.
I appreciate this blog as it has educated me greatly in this horrible disease.
God Bless
I am so sorry for your loss. I just recently started to follow Ken’s journey since my sister was diagnosed with GBM. My heart breaks for you. As a caregiver to my father when he was in end-stage cancer, I saw many friends and relatives come through for us, as well as others who ran away and could not be around. It’s difficult watching a loved one go through such a horrible time, and it changed me. But I wouldn’t trade that time with my father for anything. May you find strength and comfort in knowing that you did right by Ken to the very end.
Tina,thank you for your strength and courage to fight this with all your might alongside Kebo.You both were blessed with wonderful memories,as all that knew him were,too.I pray for peace and blessings be with you and the family through these times.Sincerely and with Love,The Clackums
I have known Ken since elementary school, playing soccer, middle school and finally graduation from GHS. He will be misses by many and the fight he gave was a testimony to how he lived his life. It is an honor to call him my friend. Peace be with you and your family.
You have my deepest sympathies, Tina. Ken was a brave man, a strong man! There are many of us, around the country who knew him and called him a friend. I count myself among them, despite only one weekend of time spent with him. His talent, his wit, his humor and humility will always be remembered! From this day on, glasses will be raised in his honor, and in remembrance of good times spent, at every RB get-together. I can only hope your pain is as short-lived as your memories are eternally stored in your heart and in your head! In Kebos honor……..
i’m at a loss of words except to say i love you…the world was a brighter spot with Ken in it…and it still is. lisa
He is now with God and no more pain, he was a brave soul and you stood by him all the way and did and awesome job. Love your family,I live across the street from cheryl and she has nothing but good things to say of how you took care of her son. We will be praying for you Tina.
words cannot convey how said i am for your loss. yet so happy Ken passed surrounded by love…i love you. i’m here. lisa
dear soul! my partner was told today he is no longer in remission…I understand! love and light the compassion you demonstrated isnt lost it will live on in others. peace! the things about the roads we travel is we soon come to the end of them!
Oh, Tina. My heart breaks for your loss. Please know that you have not been and will never be far from our hearts. You and Kebo are an amazing testament to strength, faith and perseverance.
Thoughts are with you. X
Praying for your peace and comfort at this difficult time.
Dear Tina,
I am so devastated by this news… although I am thousands of miles away …. my thoughts are with you and I will remember you and Ken for the rest of my life. This is a song by a dutch band called Golden Earring : they wrote the song when a good friend/fellow biker died it’s called “going to the run” …
I’m so sorry to hear this. I followed Ken’s posts for quite a while, as my roommate is battling GBM.
I never met Ken, but I will miss him.
I’m so sorry Tina. Ken’s blog has helped me understand and accept my mum’s diagnosis of GBM and truly i cannot thank you and Ken enough for that. Please take care of yourself and know that we’re thinking of you over in Scotland. Love the Scott’s x x
So very sad to read this – so very sad so many have to go through this – I very much admired Ken’s way of dealing with this disease through this blog. I am a wife of a GBM patient so Tina my heart goes out to you. I understand what you have gone through and the saddest part is how the story inevitably ends. Thank you Ken and Tina for sharing the GBM journey with us.
Thank you for posting. It was such a privilege to know Ken. I admire your bravery and his as you took this journey together and shared with us your loving bond and candidness about the disease. Tina, please know that friends near and far continue to pray for you and offer support.
So sorry for your loss, my heart is breaking for you. We have followed Ken’s blog for about a year now. My husband too has GBM and it meant a lot to us to be able to read about someone else’s journey with this horrible disease. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Wishing you much peace in the coming weeks.
I’m sorry Tina.
Tina
I am so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Suzette and George Brennan
Tina, I am so very sorry, please let me know what I can do for you.
Dear Tina, I am so very sad for your loss, I have followed Ken’s blog for some time since my friends’ mum was diagnosed with GBM. The blog has been most useful being informative and yourself and Ken very inspiring. I was always waiting for the next blog and we will now be at a loss, however your loss must be great and I hope in the future you will be able to take great comfort on how you loved and supported Ken on this very sad journey – as Ken was remarkable in travelling and sharing this awful journey with the rest of the world. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to you from the Midalnds-England.xxx
R.I.P. Ken.
Tina – The Lovemans have been praying Ken and you. We wish you peace and comfort during these days. Thank you for sharing all the touching thoughts and moments, the good news, the bad news, etc. over the last couple of years. You and Ken are a blessing to those who have been around you. Ken was an original and will be greatly missed.
All our love to you.
Tina,
My heart breaks for yours. You have been such a loving wife. Ken was so so blessed to have you and I know your pain and loss is so deep. I do understand.
Today, Cindy has let her caregiver know that she wants everyone around her today, she wants lots of kisses and she says she’s “going down the road”. I feel certain she is leaving us today. I’m so sad and while I know there will be no more pain for her, it will begin for us today.
I hope Ken and his beautiful spirit will meet her there and maybe even help her cross.
My heart is with you. I’m so sorry. Love from Gainesville.
~Kat
I will always remember Ken as one of the finest people I’ve ever worked with.
No ego, no hidden agendas, no machinations, just decency, sincerity and honesty.
You and Ken have been, and will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Both of you are so special and Your courage and strength have been an inspiration. We pray it continues to sustaining you in the coming days.
Dear Tina, through this journal you and Ken gave hope and comfort to many. The love between you two was so evident, so heartwarming. Your devoted care and tenacity gave Ken the best life possible, and shone a guiding light for others on similar journeys.
Ken and Rusty brought our two families together through GBM. Both Ken and Rusty are gone now and greatly, sadly missed, but I hope our friendship will continue, beyond
shared pain.
May God’s love and peace guide and comfort you.
He suffers no more, God Bless.
I am so sorry Tina. My heart breaks for you. This post bought tears to my eyes. I took care of my dad his last 9 days with GBM and remember how hard they were. I can only imagine how many emotions you are experiencing. You have been an amazing wife and caregiver. Such a strength for Ken and for all of us reading this blog. I wish you peace and comfort. Again, I am so sorry.
Tina,
Please know that you are in my heart and thoughts. Ken was a beacon of kindness and strength as are you. Please let me know if I can help you in any way.
Tina, I am so sorry for your loss of Ken, a brave inspiration to so many. I followed the site because my 50 yr old son has GBM and, as you know, everyday is a roller coaster ride.
You must know, Tiny, that you did everything you could to make Ken’s journey as amazing and good as possible. He knew it, too. May God bless you and give you great peace. love and prayers, dotti
God bless you Tina. Our hearts morn with you. Your strength and Ken’s story have impacted so many of us in ways we cannot begin to describe. Love to you and our brother who has passed.
Hi Tina, I am so sorry for your loss. And I thank you and Ken for putting this blog up. My father-in-law was diagnosed with GBM and I found Ken’s words very helpful and heartening.
Tina and family
May you have peace now that Ken is finished with his battle. The adjustment to life without appointments and treatments will be difficult to adjust to. I can only imagine life without Ken will seem intolerable. I pray that each of you will be given your own peace from grief.
I would like to make a donation to the society of your choice, in Ken’s memory.
Sincerely
Bingo
Hi Tina, how can anyone know the perfect words for such a brave and supportive wife as you. Losing a spouse is the hardest and loneliest of all journeys. Ken would expect your strength to continue in this your darkest hour. Having lost my husband of 41 years after a long illness, I can only say time is the best resource for healing. Please be comforted by all the love and support surrounding you. You will never be alone
Hey Tina, I am so very, very sorry for your loss. I can’t adequately describe this in words but please know my heart is with you. Grief is a most peculiar thing; we’re so helpless in the face of it. Ken was an amazing man and I’m so glad you had the experience of a true love in your life. You will be okay, but it will take time. In Seattle now and you are welcome to call and/or stay with me anytime. All my love, Rebecca
The Georgia Dahlia Society was saddened to learn of Ken’s death. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Tina, you are in my thoughts & prayers during this time of loss of Ken, such an incredible & creatively talented guy. I am happy to have known and worked wth him. Stay encouraged and know that he walks wth you always {{hugs}} …
I’m so very sorry.
Tina I am very sorry for your loss. No words can comfort you now, I know it just too well… Yesterday I asked my husband to greet Ken up there in Heaven and to show him around. Many of our GBM warriors are up there already and I trust all their pain and suffering has paid off and they are happy now.
RIP…..
Hi Tina, I’m so, so sorry to hear about this and read your post this morning. My heart aches for you and your whole family, and everyone who has been a part of your lives I’m sure is feeling tremendous loss. That goes for me too. Please know you’re in my thoughts and prayers.
Dear Tina,
My prayers are there with you dear.. Be strong..
How sad, TIna.
Ken did face this with so much courage and compassion.
In a way he beat it and is now resting.
Time for you to rest and be proud on how much you two loved each other.
Tina –
I read your post last night and I’m still having trouble articulating my thoughts. I am very sorry for your loss. Ken embodied many of the traits that I admire the most in people – in fact, he had an abundance of them. What a wonderfully unique individual he was.
Michael
Dear Tina . You don’t know me as I live on the other side of the world and I’m so sad to hear about Ken, i shall miss reading your blog, ive been with you everystep of the journey. My husband lost his fight in feb 2014 after 14 months. What a monster of a disease, I believe more research has to be made into GMBs to find a cure. I hope you will be strong and look after yourself, as you begin your journey on a roller coaster ride of emotions, Take care xxxxxxxx
I have decided to continue the blog and write as the story unfolds and also tell my story as a caregiver. I will try to remain strong and make my dear Ken proud of me.
Tina,
If you could do that, for the rest of us, when you are ready…it would be amazing. And you should consider…When you are ready…taking questions and incorporating the entire blog into a book. You already know you would have sold 200 copies, by accident. And those are to those who signed up, not just bookmarked the page.
Because we all are facing the questions of “what did you know and when did you know it”and “was it worth all the fighting?” and especially, “how did you bear it at the end?” Both as caregivers and as those afflicted.
But you don’t have to be strong for awhile…you can still lean on us.
Tina, I wish comfort for you – for Kebo, I wish peace. I think Bil is showing him around and telling him some jokes. Call me if you want to talk. I love you.
Hi Amy, I told Ken to go to Bil right after he passed and to his Father and Rusty. I hope to see you tomorrow at Ken’s memorial service.
Tina,
I am so sorry. The passing of a loved one is the hardest burden to bear. After my mother passed away, I felt outside myself – dazed and confused a lot of the time. What I’ve come to realize is that while you can’t physically be with the person who has passed on, they are still with you. Exerting a presence – memories of wisdom, joy (and sometimes more mundane things too). And at times, you can almost feel them whispering observations in your ear that only they could have had. It’s eerie but comforting.
Ken was such a good heart. Kind. Generous. Funny. And, far too humble given his gifts. I will miss him.
Pam
Ken has been an inspiration to us all. His dedication in the face of astronomical odds is admirable. It sounds like you have plenty of support, and I am glad for that.
Peace and prayers
Tina
I have just read the news (very sad for me)
I wish you and all your family long life and may you all meet in times of joy and celebration
Thank you for all the sharing
Love and prayers
Robyn
Xxxxxx
Ps I am still on the GBM journey. The blog has helped
Thankyou
Robyn, Thank you for your kind words. I’m so glad that the blog has helped and I hope it continues to help you. Tina