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*excluding slices & gluten free crusts 10/19

978-281-1700

147 Thatcher Rd Gloucester

The Viau Family, 

Donna, Bob, Greer, Dylan share:

SOME THOUGHTS TO SHARE 

It was one month Thursday October 12, 2023 since our 25 year old son Greer Viau received the GIFT OF LIFE from an amazing altruistic living donor who made it possible for Greer to receive a kidney transplant. Right now the donor is anonymous but it is our dream to meet them soon. 

Back in 2021at his annual physical when we learned Greer had Chronic Kidney Disease from lab results his diligent and thorough primary care doctor discovered, we were shocked. After referral to a nephrologist followed by a biopsy we were told it was something that could very possibly be controlled, perhaps even for life with medication and continual monitoring so life went on. That monitoring was indicating he was stable, almost as if it was in remission if you will. Greer was thriving, working, doing things he enjoyed. In the fall of 2022 he had very random intermittent bouts of nausea. In January of 2023 he faced a massive layoff at work at which time I encouraged “strongly” as mother’s do to get a physical. He did only to find out his labs indicated his kidney function had plummeted and he was approaching end stage renal disease. We were terrified. He didn’t feel anything to indicate it. Another biopsy and further labs were not good and the rapid decline was devastating with news of needing a transplant, an emergency five day hospital stay, meetings with transplant doctors & surgeons to having an  emergency Hemo port in his chest, grueling dialysis, another port put in for home Peritoneal Dialysis 13 hours nightly seven days a week, more emergency visits, an ENTIRE upheaval of life for our son first and foremost but our entire family. 

Education was paramount…what do we do, what can we do, how do we do things…..Greer was nothing short of astounding in dealing and living with this horrific new necessary lifestyle. 

During that first visit at the Brigham in February and learning they didn’t want his brother for donor evaluation due to their genetic connection and the unknown about why this was even happening to Greer, Bob was out due to diabetes so of course it must be me, I am the mother, this is automatic. I literally said let’s operate, take my kidney now. The doctors looked at us with a disappointing smile saying it doesn’t work that way…we were quickly learning about the extensive process that must happen for evaluation for Living Donorship. We learned that as a family it was up to us to find a living donor for Greer. Everyone talks about “a list”. The list for a deceased kidney is est. 7-10+ years. To find a living donor, families must outreach and search. Not every hospital is, but fortunately The Brigham & Women transplant program is connected to the National Kidney Registry NKR. They assist with outreach in coaching, counseling, helping launch an individual website for patients called a microsite page, cards with a QR Code link to the patients page to learn about the patient, their story, their life, to answer questions about Donorship and to link applicants to the initial questionnaire to see if applicants can progress to be medically qualified to donate. Then there is the amazing coordinating support team Greer and our family had at the Brigham that connects with applicants, handles medical questions and guides our family and of course our outstanding donor mentor from the NKR, in our case Lynn Henderson Bolduc who connected, guided, comforted with those coming forward for Greer. Who would know better as Lynn not only donated her kidney but in later years donated a quarter of her liver to someone else. I once asked her why she came forward in her case for someone she didn’t even know and she said “because I could”. She just wanted to help. What a beautiful soul. Now her husband recently donated his kidney as well. They are such stunning examples of humanity, kindness, actually….there are no words.

Back in February when he was released from that harrowing week at the Brigham, Greer sat on our couch staring out and said in this sad almost hopeless voice “who is going to give me an organ out of their body to save my life”. Inside I gasped with terror but blurted out SOMEONE WILL.  Two months into my own evaluation I was eliminated and cried for hours. Greer was comforting ME. 

So our entire task in life now was to outreach for Greer. Honestly my immediate reaction is that everyone will of course come forward for evaluation, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. We’re talking saving someone’s life here, it’s Greer, he’s only 25, you love him, you know him, you’re related to him…..this is what has to be done. It doesn’t quite  work that way. In life we need to learn and accept everyone can only do what they can do. I think perhaps we are all like that. Each one of us can only do what we can do during our life. That may not always make sense or be understood by us when events and circumstances come into our lives, especially life threatening ones. 

During all of this we are never told by the NKR or the Brigham who comes forward for evaluation for Greer. We receive an email “dashboard” biweekly showing how many people viewed his microsite and how many completed the registration questionnaire to start evaluation. There were certainly those whom we knew personally whether a family member or friend who told us they were being evaluated, all of which gave us hope. There were also people we hadn’t seen in years yet always a part of our lives who connected to say they were being tested. Then admittedly there were people in our lives who we assumed or hoped would come forward who we rarely if ever heard from but may have clicked a heart or prayer hands on a Facebook post. Then people we’d never met who felt for Greer came forward. Through it all there has been incredible LOVE, OUTREACH and SUPPORT from so many….family, friends, friends of friends, community response, our workplaces. People online who heard Greer’s story  who are going through their own searches and struggles with kidney disease who learned of our story and continue to reach out with concern and sharing love for us like our new friends Cole Pasqualucci, Andrea Crompton-Ruback, Michele Pearlstein Lingenfelter, Kathleen McHugh McAnulty, Jonathan Torres, Amanda Thomas, Paul S. Savuto all need our help.

Again, acceptance in the mantra, people can only do what they can do. Maybe someone just couldn’t physically or mentally handle the idea of Donorship, maybe they have their own personal circumstances that prevent coming forward for someone in need like Greer despite loving them, knowing them, being related to them. 

To Greer’s miraculously, beautiful, loving donor…we will NEVER be able to fully express our gratitude. To the teams of Doctors and Nurses who gave and continue to give him exceptional care, thank you all.

We learned to accept and be eternally grateful for for EVERYONE who shared, outreached, supported, gifted, emailed, mailed cards, texted, commented on FB, put magnets on their cars, phoned us, the radio, the news, the newspapers, the local websites,  stopped us in the store for a hug, cared, evaluated, held us up….Shared 💕 LOVE 

Thank you

The Viau Family, 

Donna, Bob, Greer, Dylan

Sharing information that the City Halloween Party is now scheduled for Sat Oct 28!

Maybe you’re like Jim and I…kind of rushing around getting to the places we did not get to often enough in-season now that off-season is looming. Yella on the Water along the Boulevard is a good example. We had dinner last night and it was amazing! The outdoor deck is still open, but I am not that hardy so we ate inside. I had the wings and a salad and GMG Jim had bouillabaisse. There wasn’t a lick left of the wings or the bouillabaisse to bring home. The wings are not traditional but are plump and crispy as promised. The garlicy sauce is perfection. Jim reported the bouillabaisse had just the right amount of zing. I also overheard another customer planning her meal around the chocolate creme brulee dessert, and that was that for me. Chocolate creme brulee and strawberry shortcake please! It was all wonderful. You have until Saturday Oct 22 to get there unless you want to go to Andover.

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A post shared by Nantucket Historical Assoc. (@ackhistory)

Thanks Caitlin Silverstein for the link

Point of View…

“Notable Mariners, Historians, Philanthropists & Artists”

Oak Grove Cemetery

177 Washington Street, Gloucester

Saturday, October 14th, 3:30 to 5PM

Rain date: Sunday, Oct 22nd, 3:30PM.

Meet at the main entrance of the cemetery near the Bradford Memorial Chapel.

Parking is on Washington Street since there is no parking in the cemetery.

For registration and details please go to the Eventbrite link below:

Notable Mariners, Historians, Philanthropists & Artists

In 1854, Gloucester was enjoying a prosperous period. Six local businessmen purchased an oak grove near downtown Gloucester to be the site of a modern cemetery. This private cemetery was to be designed so that both the living and dead could enjoy an open, public space of beauty.

Cleveland and Copeland, a noted Massachusetts landscape architecture firm, was hired to design Oak Grove Cemetery. Their focus was to be sensitive to the natural landscape with the addition of open spaces, interconnecting byways, and ornamental plantings. The original design consisted of 280 gravesites in 6 sections and over time the cemetery expanded to more than 5500 burials. This cemetery is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Oak Grove Cemetery is located at 177 Washington Street, Gloucester, MA 01930. A cemetery tour led by knowledgeable guides, Courtney Richardson, a former Oak Grove Cemetery board member and Katy Marques will provide you with stories of a number of notable individuals and families who called Gloucester their home such as Ben Pine, James Pringle, Samuel Sawyer, the Davis sisters, and Fitz Henry Lane.

The Saturday tour (Oct. 21) will meet at the main entrance to the cemetery at 177 Washington St., near the Bradford Memorial Chapel at 3:30PM. The 0.5 mile walking tour will meander through the cemetery stopping to pay homage at select gravesites as well as giving you the opportunity to appreciate the lovely landscape and the variety of unique gravestones in Oak Grove. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. The cemetery is wheelchair accessible by using the paved and packed dirt byways.

Street parking is on Washington Street since there is no parking in the cemetery. The cemetery is a 0.3 mile walk from the MBTA commuter rail station in downtown Gloucester.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with history and immerse yourself in Gloucester’s rich heritage. Rain date is Sunday, October 22, 3:30PM.

Supported by the 400+ Steering Committee and Oak Grove Cemetery Board of Trustees with bottled water supplied by Kaylynn Favaloro and Blue Marble Group.

💥New Special Lobster Roll Price $13.95 🦞🦞
💥Half Off Large Cheese & One Topping Pizzas!
excluding slices & gluten free crusts

978-281-1700