Even Though you're gone, I won't let you fade away~
Rita Purbasari Soesanto, my beautiful Indonesia babygirl at the age of 40, was strong enough to let go on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 to rest and move on to the gates of her new journey of eternal life with our loving God... leaving behind her her pain, her suffering, her anxiety, and it is with great sadness, she left all of us loved ones too. Rita is finally free and at peace from her nightmare called cancer.
In September of 2008, Rita was diagnosed with Stage 3 ductal invasive HER2 positive breast cancer. She had 6 rounds of chemo, mastectomy, 25 rads and Tamofen pills to follow. August 2010, Rita had a recurrence in her neck lymph gland and a 2cm tumor on left side of her brain. Her new treatment was 17 Herceptine infusions every 3 weeks, Xeloda and 20 rads to neck and shoulder, the brain tumor was gone. October 2011 more small swollen lumps and glands were found around her neck and shoulder again, now continues the Xeloda and Tykerb was to be taken for a year to slow the cancer down. From what I know, she's been trying to seek treatments here in the states for better treatment, for the chemo that she had been given were outdated, apparently taken off the market in the U.S. As recently as this past February, Rita was having more issues with lumps reappearing in neck and shoulders again and was having complications with fluids filling her lungs and tumors around her heart and was having much difficulty.
Rita had posted in early May that she almost lost life in ICU but reassured us that she was getting better, no worries. It was a lot more serious than that... Our last message from her was from her cell phone just 1 day prior to her passing, "I lov u all... Thanks 4 everytings.. Long time hospital recoverinng don't know when Its over." The next day, I learned of her passing and I was stunned, she knew and she was saying goodbye but I had dismissed that thought. As much as I will miss my sweet Rita dearly, this brings me comfort knowing that Tracy will be reunited with one of us, "Twisted Sisters" again. I can only imagine how great this reunion is going to be for Rita and Tracy... As I'm tearing up right now, I'm so happy that they're together, Tracy adored Rita too.
Rita was such a joy to have known, so positive, funny, and always cheerful. She joked and goofed around with us in "Twisted Sisters", she was a perfect fit within our group, in a fun "twisted" kind of way, but it was all good. We all loved Rita, bringing much laughter into the group. She was loving and a carefree spirit who knew how to live life with all of her adventures. Rita wrote back in April 2011, "this is what i called live the life to the fullest.. i am living with my cancers, i done dancing with the strippers, i was hugging with the lion and orang utans and tiger cob, and i swam with the sharks.. so, ladies, when you have final stage of cancer.. you shall not DIE NOW.. DIE LATER.. and when you live, enjoy your live to the TOP... ;) ;) well. you know i am wild and crazy!! ehhehehe ... but live is soooooooooo much FUN!!! dont waste it.." Rita never showed fear, You can see in her photos how happy she was with her huge smiles and how precious every moment was to her... she was terminal but she never let her diagnosis hold her back, she had much more living to do and she was going to have fun. Rita, you've touched our lives any you will always be my babgirl as I will always be her Momma as she would call me. You'll be missed, Heaven has gained a beautiful angel.
Those we love don't go away
They walk beside us everyday
Unseen, unheard, but always near
Still loved, still missed and very dear
