My mother, Geneva Eskridge, was one of the inspirations for this foundation. She passed away, a few days short of her 94th birthday of complications arising from her lung cancer. Her family was there and had been with her during her final days. She was well and truly loved by those who knew her and she rarely met anyone whom she did not befriend. She will be sorely missed by many.

For anyone not familiar with her and for those who knew her well I’d like to offer a brief visit with her indomitable spirit. Geneva exemplified the best of us and we can but hope to approach our lives in the same spirit. When diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 91 she decided to go skydiving rather than retreat from life. The link below is to her first jump and the second is when she jumped again at 92

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG17sLXxQIU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5xGKVLJxxE

I only hope that I can live up to her example with my life and our family offers her memory to you as an example of a life well led. I regret that the role of caregiver, which I worried that I might be unable to perform adequately, was cut tragically short by unforeseen events.

My sister died last year in the typical long term suffering of liver failure.  About 10 years ago my father died of complications of cirrhosis and lung cancer after suffering for years.  In 2010 I was diagnosed as a cirrhosis patient and my brother has stage 3 fibrosis.  

Our family has been well and truly afflicted by the silent stalker that is liver disease. When we learned that 100 million Americans were living lives oblivious to the fact that our modern diet was an invitation to the scourge of liver failure to take them Mom was appalled and at 90 wanted to do something.  She is gone now but you are here so we hope you will help us or at least understand the risk of how you probably live.

I was to be the caregiver for Mom during her final days and in earlier posts you can learn about the conflict that posed for me.  Like so many human concerns fate played the hand differently.  Mom died as the result of a perforated bowel which took her in 10 hard days rather than the months of decline we anticipated from her cancer. Now I can but honor her memory and seek to accomplish those things that we came to believe in passionately as we discovered the tragedy of liver disease and its self inflicted nature.