Final Chapter

New Grandbaby Cash William Young (Poppy got to see him :)

So much love it hurts to let go.

Bill passed away the day after these pictures were taken. He went to be at peace on July 10th, 2010 at 5:15 p.m... It was a very sad ending to the best person anyone could have ever known.

Bill was special in many ways. My boyfriend was unique, and I am the lucky one who got to have him in my life. You would never find a more giving, loving person and God has a true kind soul in heaven. He lived his life here on earth with a caring heart. He never made a promise he couldn’t keep. His word was gold, and you knew that. Bill always made sure his family was taken care of. He had a difficult time saying no, and he will be rewarded in heaven for the goodness he bestowed here in his lifetime. He always said his job was just a paycheck, but you just saw the light in his eyes when he talked about his Fireman days. What a great honor to know and love a Fireman. After “911” Bill had his Polo Shirts appliquéd with 343 for the fallen firefighters. His license plate on his truck and motorcycle reflected that symbol as well (4R343) & (2R343). Today he will be laid to rest in plot #343. We knew he was proud; he just wasn’t able to put on airs. It is with great sadness that I wasn’t around for his entire career, but I believe I was just as proud of him or more than anyone ever could be. I loved my Fireman and he so loved me. Our lives were meant to cross paths, and we enjoyed the time we spent together. Bill was fulfilled to have someone by his side to help support and love him as he journeyed home. We fought a long hard past two years of cancer, and it was a wretched fight for him, but you would never see someone fight harder. He had a saying, “if I just get one more day with my girlfriend” than it will be worth it. I can’t even begin to fathom what my life will be like without him, but I know that my life was so much better with him. I met my dream, and the true love of my life and that is something I will cherish forever. We all go through life and wonder what it would be like to fall ill, live today like there is no tomorrow, because this is the worst thing anyone could ever imagine. It took a very strong man and broke him down to a mere shell of who he was. Bill so loved his family and praised his friends, it was a bitter-sweet ending for him and it is a shame that some he felt so close to could not be there to see him watch the world go by. Let’s hope and pray that someday no one will ever have to suffer like my Boyfriend did. It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to Bill, but great joy in knowing I will see him again in Heaven…

Laura Young (his loving wife, but always his girlfriend)

Still hanging in there :)

We went to church today, even though Bill is on Oxygen now, he tries very hard to get by. He was in the hospital again last week and had to have his lung drained for excess fluid. So, he is slowly recuperating from that. We are at a crossroads now to decide if he will take more Chemotherapy. He is not as strong as he was in January, and is probably twenty pounds lighter. Sometimes you just fight the fight you can, and let God decide the rest! But each day he makes a milestone on the statistic link to his type of cancer, but I'll tell you this; It is very, very, hard and nothing in this life will prepare you for the events that unfold. He is the bravest person I know...

Coo-Coo Be' Saa~

Mackenzie & Madison were showing off their silly sides...

Abby & Grammy

Abagail was the hit of the party, and then not! :0

Summer Time Fun

We've got to do a few little things, like the Theme Parks and the Aquarium for Mackenzie and Madison's birthday's. Little Abagail had fun too!

Amanda & Zoe

Little Zoe

My Grammy says I am just too cute, and my Mom agrees...

And that makes 9 :)

Cash William Young, born 6-16-10, joins his sister and brother Makayla and Bo. Poppy was not able to be there, but sends his love. Unfortunately Bill was in the hospital when Cash was born. We are still hoping to see him in person real soon...

Bill aka "McGuyver"

McGuyver Bill & Misure Bill and George.

Hi all here is an update on Bill and his ongoing battle with Cancer of the Esophagus. As you can see McGuyver here is good at multi-tasking! I have a cast on my leg, so Bill is my Chauffeur at the present time, he is feeling pretty "ok" being off his Chemotherapy, so he is able to do a bit more and get out to "watch the world go by" as he puts it. We were at a friend's retirement party recently and we got a picture with Bill's best buddy George. It was nice to see some of his firemen and women friends. Bill's son was out for a short visit and that always makes him happy. Bill is able to take fluids at home presently and that helps his stamina. We stopped the Chemo for his body to get some needed rest, they will re-check him by CT Scan in another month and decide if he goes back on treatment? Days go by and we are already four months into the window of time they gave him, let's hope we get a lot more time. It seems as though the treatment is doing it's job and the adjuvant therapy is working some. He has lost more weight and most of his hair so he probably looks more ill on the outside, but it is the inside we are concerned with. Life moves on and we are doing the best we can. We have a new Granddaughter "Zoe" born in March, and a new Grandson "Cash" coming at the end of June, we would like to be there for that...

Pray for all of us to keep our Misure Bill around, by the way "Misure" in our language is Mr., but to a our 2 year old granddaughter, that is how it is pronounced! :)

Update on Bill

The littlest dog still makes him smile. She will be getting a new friend soon! We are going to get Gigi a friend, our new puppy will be coming home in a few weeks...

The second round of Chemo is harder of course. Bill is losing his hair now, and more weight. He can still manage a smile for me though! We are so fortunate to be able to spend this time together. We have had a few trips to the oncology clinic for hydration. We took a medical transport to the hospital for a few days, but we are still able to manage care at home and that is important. Getting a handle on all the side effects is not as easy this go around, so we are hoping he will eventually stabilize? There are four more twenty-one day cycles for this Chemo, but we are not sure if he will be able to tolerate it at this point. We hope for the best.

Happy Birthday Bill

All the cards and get well wishes and happy thoughts today were wonderful, and then Chanel & Lily exceeded Bill's expectations of what a great day could be. He got to come home from the hospital today. He received phone calls, cards and pictures from all our grandchildren. Then these two lovely ladies made him this fantastic card and surprised him last evening.

We have met and were graced by the nicest young ladies who worked for us at our Cupcake Store, and to this day they have shown compassion and kindness that exceeds anything we could ever imagine! Thank you Chanel & Lily...

hard days

This is pretty much all he can do, give a little smile on the outside. It is the inside that is causing all the problems. We started the Chemotherapy again, and with a vengeance the drugs have given their most adverse reactions (thank goodness we were at the doctor when it first happened). Some have great sensation to cold so if you touch, breathe, swallow anything that is cold, the outcome makes you wheeze and feel as though your respiratory system is shutting down. Another one of the medications can make your hands and feet crack and peel. There are so many bad side effects, but the positive outcome is it could give us more time. I continue to adore his courage and strength. It is worse than we expected again. Pray...

Article in Napa Register

In the face of a family illness, Gigi’s cupcakes, in Browns Valley, has closed. The shop, decorated in signature pink and black accents, once sold homemade cupcake flavors such as Red Velvet, Devil’s Food Cake, German Chocolate and Meyer Lemon. Jennifer Huffman/Register

The doors are locked and the kitchen lights are off at Gigi’s Cupcakes in Browns Valley.
Citing the illness of her husband Bill, shop owner Laura Young closed the family bakery on Christmas Eve. The business first opened on Valentine’s Day, 2009.
Bill Young’s cancer has recurred, said Young, and she and her family want to focus their energies on his health. Bill Young is about to begin more than four months of chemotherapy.
“Our life has been changed,” wrote Laura Young on the store’s blog, “and we are going to make the most and best out of what we have.”
While foot traffic in the bakery had slowed when Zinsvalley Restaurant moved from Browns Valley to downtown, outside accounts and other walk-in business kept them busy, said Young. It was a hard decision to close, she said, but with her husband’s health crisis, owning the shop “doesn’t mean the same anymore,” she said.
Gigi’s was a family business, with both Laura and Bill Young working in the store. Photos of their children and grandchildren decorated the space. Kids toys, tea sets and other gift items were offered for sale in the shop’s retail area. “It really was all about the family and the grandkids and our dog,” named Gigi, she said.
The bakery opened at a time when the cupcake craze seemed to hit Napa. Within months, two other cupcake bakeries also debuted, Kara’s Cupcakes and Sift: a Cupcakery. Facing competition from two other bakeries wasn’t the problem, said Young. “There was room for all of us,” said Young. “Everyone has (his or her) own personality and style. We were very happy with what we had and what we did,” at Gigi’s, she said.
“Thank you to everyone that cared and became part of our journey,” wrote Young on the store’s blog. “We had some great young ladies that worked for us and became part of our family. We met some wonderful people along the way. What we leave behind are the memories and cherished ones, but we will make more in the days to come.”
“It was a great little dream that we put together,” said Young.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
For more on Gigi’s and the Youngs, visit http://gigiscupcakesnapa.blogspot.com/

Update on Bill

We are scheduled to start Chemotherapy again on the 22nd. It was postponed because Bill was too ill to start. He has had some issues with dehydration and nausea. The feeding tube was not able to be placed due to the obstruction from the tumors. So we are waiting for a second opinion from the surgery department. In the meantime just keeping a minimal weight loss to get the treatment started is the goal. The doctor's believe that once the treatment gets started there is a possibility the tumors will shrink down enough to try again with the placement of the feeding tube. They had to prescribe stronger pain meds to get better control and so far that seems to be helping. In total he has lost 60lbs, and he needs to maintain the weight he has now to have the strength to fight the disease. Another option would be to place a nasal tube to go directly into the stomach and small intestine, but this is a last resort. Sometimes eating is painful, so small amounts and a bland diet are better tolerated. It is a difficult time, but we take it as it comes. We were able to take the trip to his son's and did fairly well traveling. Pray for Bill as he fights to get more time, we still have things to do. Thank you to everyone that send their thoughts, prayers, cards, etc., it means a lot to both of us.

Saying Goodbye

The hardest part of the trip is saying goodbye :(

New Mexico Visit

Bill & Brandon

Brandon, Brooke, Makayla & Bo + one on the way...

Napa Register Article

This article came out in the paper today for those of you who have not heard the news. We cannot go without special thank yous to many people who helped us with everything it took to build the dream of Gigi's Cupcakes Napa Valley.

Hull + Honeycutt ~ The best @ Marketing & Design ~

Thank you Frank & Susan so much for everything including the great friendship!

Grace Design ~ Top @ Web Designing ~

Thank you Angus & Heidi

Home Girl Design ~ Design & Vision ~

Thank you Michelle our beloved friend!

Virtue Development ~ the build-out, plans, permits, etc..

Thank you Dennis & Bobby, plus numerous others involved with the project.

Drew Kastner ~ Trademark Attorney ~

For helping us keep the vision and the dream.

Larry & Michael Giovannoni ~ Browns Valley Center ~

Two of the most kind-hearted souls thank you for everything!

Napa Signs ~ Denise and everyone else over there thank you.

There are numerous others without mention to send our heartfelt thanks to as well

We would like to thank those that worked for us and helped to make Gigi's a lovely place to be!
Thank you so much to; Carina, Chanel, Lily, Breanne, Nicole, Rebekah, Natalia, Alexandra and Daniel for all your dedication to Gigi's Cupcakes Napa.

Some of you will continue on with us to be a part of our lives and that gives us great comfort and joy. It has been without a doubt the best first and last year of our little shop around the corner. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts...

Bill and Laura Young

Now we know

A lot more thin, but still the same guy I fell in love with, and proud to call my husband.

Before we knew?

I fell in love with an adorable man...

Love those firemen!

Thirty-one years of a most honorable profession.