Karen Fagelman
Life Story
Karen’s life story was not unusual until it literally went out of this world. Her father worked as a field rep for Lockheed Martin Aircraft Corporation. At that time her Dad was assigned to work with the air force at Langley AFB, Virginia. That coincided with the assignment of the original Gemini astronauts to that base as well. She has fond memories of her father taking her on the base and watching the planes take off and land up close. She also met all of the astronauts as they were invited to her parents’ house for informal dinner parties on multiple occasions.
While at the University of Virginia Hospital she was putting together a pre-operative teaching program for children. After her marriage to Dr. Kerry Fagelman they lived in Louisville Kentucky for 4 years. She wanted to continue the development of the teaching program and met with the chief of Pediatric Anesthesiology for an interview. On a tour of the Children’s Hospital they went into the recovery room and soon after the only patient there had a cardiac arrest. Karen started cardiac compressions as the anesthesiologist established the airway. People were coming into the room to assist and asked Karen "who the heck are you?" The anesthesiologist told them to “leave her alone she was doing fine!” The baby did fine as well. Not your typical job interview! She did get a job working at a high risk pediatric clinic. This required her to maintain a caseload of patients and keep track of their progress, even making home visits. She had one baby whose parents were both deaf. The father made a pact with her that if she got to teach them baby care, he would teach her sign language. She used what she learned to help translate for deaf parents in the future. She developed special bonds with her patients and their parents. Some relationships lasted the rest of her life.
Her husband’s pursuit of a career in Pediatric Surgery took them from Louisville to Miami, to New Brunswick, New Jersey and finally Central Pennsylvania at Hershey Medical Center. Karen gave birth to a son, Jeremy, in 1987. It was a difficult pregnancy. Over the years she developed multiple chronic problems. In 2013 she required inpatient care for rehabilitation of a knee injury. Her anticoagulation protocol for atrial fibrillation was mismanaged and she almost bled to death. She subsequently spent 6 ½ months in the hospital developing end stage renal failure, requiring hemodialysis the rest of her life. Her physical ability remained restricted but her incredible spirit never failed. She got to experience motherhood, mother-in-law hood and grand motherhood.
A Note To Her Husband from Her Internist of over 20 years;
I'm sorry but not surprised how difficult the months have been for you since Karen passed. What always struck me most about Karen was her endless optimism and the love she had for you. Despite her complex medical conditions and the physical limitations that resulted Karen was always upbeat, thankful for the life she had, kind, and thoughtful of others. She had a wonderful spirit that her medical problems did not change. She was a very special person.
With sympathy,
Stacy
A Letter of Condolences from a Specialist Involved in Her Care;
Kerry, I am stunned and deeply grieved by this news. Words fail to convey the pain of loss of a lifetime of love and devotion. As close as I was to you and Karen in the last few years, I still grasp for a way to understand the power of love, and the void that is left when death intervenes. I hope you truly understand and can be certain that you gave everything and withheld nothing over the years you were at her side. It was Love poured out without limit, and It was an example I will always remember.
I treasure the words of the Latin Requiem. "The archangels will, (and already have) lead her into Paradise, and with Lazarus, who was once a beggar, she will await you and join you in the Resurrection.
The Lord Bless you and Keep You
Words From a Patient She Cared for from Birth and stayed in touch with till the End; Words cannot express how much I loved this woman who I have always referred to as mom. She loved me and stayed in my life when she didn’t have too which is something I have always cherished. I love you mom and will see you again one day.Recalling words of My Mother;
Kerry’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1970’s. Just five years later she had evidence of metastatic disease. Though she responded to chemotherapy it slowed the tumor growth but was not curative. Eventually, with no new therapy to offer, she went into hospice care. Arrangements were made for the family to gather at their home in Massachusetts. Karen and I were standing at the foot of the bed when my mother stared at us and said, “It’s not natural. It is just not natural.”
I responded, “What’s not natural?”
She said, “That two people should love each other as much as you two do!”
Karen and I talked about that comment on the long drive home. To us it seemed very natural. We could not imagine it any other way. We were meant for each other and had a wonderful marriage for 48 years.
A Note from a Special Cousin
My cousin Karen was more like a sister to me. I have so many wonderful memories. However, what I will miss the most are the many phone conversations that we shared. We could talk for hours, and we did, about everything imaginable. We could reminisce about family gatherings that we attended, movies we watched, books we read, politics, just everything in general, and we never had an argument, even though we didn’t agree on everything. We always ended our conversations with a funny story, and boy could we laugh. Karen was a very special person, and I miss her, but I was blessed to have had her in my life.