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'LeAna's gone through a hell of a lot in the last couple of years--the divorce, her dad dying, now me. That's a lot for any individual. She's doing the best she can.' --Betty Breadth Betty died at 4 this morning. LeAna, Karena and her husband, and Aikasha are there. LeAna sits with Betty's body, crying. Aikasha says it was peaceful. Betty is surrounded by mementos. It is still oddly peaceful. The feeling in the house has been one of growing peace each day as she approached closer to death. 'This is what I want to convey to my daughters: My body will be gone, but I will still be in your dreams.' --Betty Breadth 'It's been an interesting voyage for us--she kept it interesting.' --Aikasha Figliola-Kaderli 'Betty approached death like life and left nothing undone.' --Jan Landry, Hospice chaplain 'The lesson was her joy in life.' --LeAna Olson 'I hope I can have a similar effect on others like my Mom did.' --Karena Christman 'Mom talked about how society puts you in a box. But Mom looked at how you can move the sides of the box.' --Aikasha Figliola-Kaderli Although Betty Breadth invited us in, this project would not have been possible without the cooperation of her three daughters--LeAna Olson, Karena Christman and Aikasha Figliola-Kaderli. They were equally courageous and allowed us to witness what one family does when the end is near. Often it's beautiful, but when it got terrifying, they never shut the door. Text by Kelly Luker. With thanks to Buz Bezore. [ Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]