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Demi Candelaria |
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Born May 29, 1988 ~ Heaven Bound December 9, 2003 |
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The story you are about to read about Demi Candelaria is very tragic but the real story of Demi is in the life that she
led. At 15 years old, she was a member of a two-time state championship
soccer team, played many sports, and had traveled to various places. She was
a beautiful, vibrant, strong, committed and determined girl. Demi was not a
quitter. She worked very hard for everything and always gave 100%. Demi
never waited for things to happen, she made things happen. She was considered
a leader and inspired many. Demi was one of those very rare individuals who
always found the good in people and brought out the best in others. She was
truly beautiful on the inside and the outside. Demi was also very devout in
her faith and was not afraid to pray out loud and reminded others to pray.
She was also a very giving person who would do anything for her family and
friends, and even in her death she continued to give to others. Demi was a
organ donor and with her death she saved the lives of five unknown
individuals. Demi is loved very much by her family, and the greatest gift
she gave to her family was her love in return.
On 12/6/03 we anxiously awaited Demi�s return from a
basketball tournament that was held in St. George, Utah. Demi arrived home at
approximately 11:00 p.m., late that Saturday night. It seemed too late for
the family to catch up on the events of the tournament, so Demi gave us a very
brief summary of events and we decided we would talk more in the morning.
Sunday morning Demi slept in late. My husband Demis and I went to her bedroom
and kissed her on the cheek and ran our hands through her beautiful hair.
Demi complained that she wasn�t feeling well. She was cold, her muscles
ached, and she was very tired. We thought to ourselves, of course her
muscles ached and she was tired, she had just played in a basketball
tournament for the last three days. We had no idea how the next 48 hours
would play out. Our time with our beautiful daughter was limited, and we had
no idea what we were about to face.
When Demi finally got up on Sunday, she again complained
that she was cold, very tired, and felt run down. I had been very sick from
the flu on Thanksgiving, and thought that Demi must be coming down with the
flu. She didn�t have a fever or stiff neck, she was just very cold, tired and
had muscle aches. My husband and I went to the grocery store and when we
returned, Demi was still in her bedroom sleeping. Demi stayed in her bedroom
until my sister and her family came to visit late that afternoon. My sister
has three children, the youngest being 2 � years old. Demi loved children and
was very passionate with babies. When Demi heard the kids, she came
downstairs to visit. Demi played and teased the boys for a while and she made
sure that she held the baby Shelby the entire visit. We invited my sister and
her family to have dinner with us that evening. Demi fixed herself a plate of
spaghetti, but didn�t have a big appetite. She had a couple of bites of
salad and decided she needed to lie down. Demi went to her room to rest, but
her cell phone started ringing and she continued to receive calls from her
friends throughout the evening. At this point, Demi did not want to be
disturbed by her cousins and in her own polite way she asked them to leave the
room, �GET OUT.� Later that evening, after my sister left, my husband and I
went to check on Demi in her room. She was very tired and wanted to sleep.
She had every intention to get plenty of rest, get up in the morning, and get
ready for school.
Monday morning (12/8/03) came very quickly. I woke
Demi up in the morning and asked her if she was feeling well enough to go to
school. She didn�t answer me right away and seemed somewhat hesitant on her
decision to go to school. I told her that if she didn�t feel well enough to
go to school, she needed to stay home. Demi responded by saying that she was
okay and proceeded to get ready. At 7:10 a.m. Demi and I left the house. We
picked up her friend Alex. When we were on our way to school Demi soon began
to complain that she was very tired. She asked me if she could stay with her
grandmother for the day. Demi dialed her grandmother�s telephone number and
handed me the phone. I explained to my mother that Demi was not feeling well
and that she wanted to stay with her for the day. Of course, my mother was
willing to take care of Demi. We dropped Alex off at school and began our
drive to my mother�s house. I dropped Demi off, gave her a kiss goodbye, and
told her I would call her when I arrived at work. When I arrived at work, I
phoned Demi to check on her condition. My mother informed me that she was
lying on the sofa and had complained of a headache. My mother gave Demi
Ibuprofen to relieve her headache. Demi ate very little throughout the day,
a couple of bites of breakfast and a half bowl of soup for lunch. I called
Demi again in the afternoon to check on her condition, and she indicated that
she really wasn�t hungry. This time she had a slight fever. My mother gave
Demi a cold pill in hopes of reducing her fever. Later in the afternoon, Demi
developed a rash on her body. The rash didn�t appear to be anything serious
and only looked like a heat rash and disappeared very quickly. As I look back
on the events that took place, I remember that Demi had this same rash on
Sunday night. Like any other mother, I began to worry and decided that Demi
needed to see a physician. I picked Demi up from my mother�s house and took
her to the local emergency clinic. I
explained to the physician the events that had taken place and that I had just
recently recovered from the flu. I remember telling the physician how sick I
had been and did not want that to happen to Demi. Based on the symptoms, the
physician assumed that Demi was coming down with Strep Throat and gave her a
prescription for an antibiotic. I went to the grocery store to fill the
prescription, and then we headed home. What happens next is the nightmare
that I cannot wake up from....
We walked in the door at approximately 7:00 p.m., and my
husband Demis gave Demi a big kiss. I warned him that Demi was very
contagious. His reply was, �I don�t care�. Demi went to her room , and I
went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water to take with her medicine.
Demis and I both took Demi the water and gave her the medicine. Demis had
made dinner and asked Demi if she was ready to eat; again she indicated she
was not hungry. Demis and I ate dinner that night without Demi. After
dinner Demis went upstairs to take a shower, and I remained downstairs in the
kitchen. I then heard my husband yelling to inform me that Demi was calling
out for me. Apparently, Demi had come out of her room, was calling for me,
and collapsed. I ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and into the hallway
to find my husband holding Demi in his arms. Her eyes were rolled back in her
head and she was completely limp. We knew something terrible was happening
and we immediately called 911. The time was now 8:00 pm.
Demi was rushed to the nearest hospital. The emergency
physician suspected Meningitis and immediately administered various
antibiotics. He then proceeded with a spinal tap, which conclusively
supported his suspicion. Demi had some form of Meningitis, which type at
this time was unknown. As she lied there in the emergency hospital bed, my
husband and I had no idea the severity of meningitis. The physician indicated
to us that Demi was very sick. Demi could not breath on her own, and it would
be necessary to put her on a respirator. He advised us to start calling our
family members. The physician then called our family pediatrician. After
discussions with our pediatrician, it was decided that Demi should be
transported by helicopter to a children's medical center. Demi arrived at the hospital around 11: 30
p.m. After observation of Demi, review of her lab tests, various other tests
performed, continual monitoring, and the aggressive nature of her symptoms, it
was suspected that she had Meningococcal Meningitis. We had no idea that her
death was hours away. At this point my husband and I were in shock! Family
members were beginning to arrive at the hospital , and we were hearing terms
that we did not understand. What did all of this mean? We just wanted to
take our baby home. Demi had a basketball game the next day that we were
planning to attend. What was happening? Why had God forsaken us??
The physician at the children�s medical center
had explained to us that Demi�s brain was swelling at a very rapid rate and
that an emergency operation was necessary. The physician explained a very
risky procedure that had only been done a few times and that there was no
literature on the procedure. This procedure would require a group of
physicians to decide if the operation could be successful or was too risky.
An hour later, the physician informed us that the procedure was too risky.
The only thing they could do would be to elevate her head and maintain the
salt level in her body. The physician explained to our family how to read
the hospital monitors and what the normal levels should read as. Hours
passed and her levels never improved. The swelling in her head continued to
increase and she still could not breath on her own. The physician informed us
that Demi would not last much longer, death was very near. Our family
prayed and prayed. We even tried to bargain with God, but our beautiful Demi
passed away at 1:40 P.M. on 12/09/03.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow This song picked from the "Wizard of Oz" by Aunt Diana Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high
Happy 16th Birthday Demi
Dear Demi,
It is so hard to find the
words to express how deeply I miss you, Demi. One of your many friends,
I find myself remembering every day the times we had together.
Remembering how happy I always was to see you at soccer practice. How
much laughter and good times we shared together!! The sadness I have
felt since the phone rang that tragic day is impossible for my to
describe. But at the same time I feel lucky. So lucky to have been so
blessed to know such an amazing person. I can't tell you how much I love
and miss you because no words would be enough to describe how I feel.
All I can do is thank you. Thank you for being so wonderful! You touched
my life in so many ways. Your goodness and your love was so comforting
to everyone who ever met you. You filled this world with such a
beautiful light that will never dim no matter how far away you are. An
angel always, you are beautiful inside and out. I will always be
grateful that you have been, and always will be, a part of my life. You
and your family are in my prayers and thoughts every day.
Love forever,
Courtney Briggs
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