Mrs Rosemary Fernandes-Guida

Mrs. Rosemary Fernandes-Guida, 65, of Warren (formerly of Bristol) and Lake Placid, FL, was called to God with her loving family by her side on Monday, January 9, 2017 after a valiant battle with Multiple Myeloma. She wishes to thank all of her doctors, especially her favorite, Dr. Vincent Armenio. She was the wife of her beloved husband and wonderful caregiver Anthony Guida. They were married for 21 years. Born in Fall River, MA and raised in Bristol, she was a daughter of the late John and Irene (Vermette) Fernandes. Rosemary worked for McLaughlin Research Corporation, Raytheon Corp. and R.J. Manufacturing Company. She was a life member of the Warren Preservation Society, Massasoit Historical Association and a Communicant and Eucharistic Minister at St. Marys Church, Bristol. She was strong, spirited and loved the Lord. She enjoyed traveling, boating and fishing and was an avid Red Sox and Patriots fan. Besides her husband she is survived by a brother, John Paul Fernandes and his husband, Donn, a niece Sasha Fernandes and her husband David Elliott, a nephew, Adam Fernandes, three great nieces, Ophelia Fernandes, Evangeline and Violet Elliott and her faithful and loyal fur baby, Mia. A special thank you to Father Barry Gamache, Deacon Paul Bisbano, Sister Fatima and our loving church family for all their prayers. Thank you to her caregivers Sandy and Nancy, all her family, friends and neighbors who kept the prayers and positive thoughts coming and the staff at American Renal Associates and at St. Elizabeths Manor in Bristol. Funeral services from the Sansone Funeral Home, 192 Wood Street, Bristol, Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 9:00 AM with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 AM in St. Marys Church, 330 Wood Street, Bristol. Burial will follow in North Burial Ground, Hope Street, Bristol. Visiting hours will be Friday, January 20, 2017 from 4:00-7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Marys Church, 330 Wood Street, Bristol, RI 02809. For online condolences, shared memories, information and directions go to www.sansonefuneralhome.com One of Rose's doctors wrote this wonderful tribute which Tony wanted to share.... Divya Dethier MD'17 Departments, Essay, Hospitals, Students An integrated clerkship provides students with new insight into their patients lives. During my first few weeks as a third-year student on the medicine wards, we admitted a patient Ill call R. She had multiple myeloma. When I first met R, she was sitting in her hospital bed reading the sports section of the newspaper. She had a cast on her right arm. Despite feeling sick and weak, she was smiling. She told me the Red Sox were her favorite team, and she wanted to be sure to keep up with the scores even when she was in the hospital. She had even chosen a red cast in support of her team. I looked forward to visiting her and her husband every morning. During the weeks she was hospitalized, her stomach was bleeding and we could not determine its etiology. There were times our team thought we may not figure it out in time to help her recover. With the help of my attending, R and I had a conversation about her end of life goals. What is important to you? How do you define a “good death”? What do you want to happen before you leave this earth? She responded, “I want to be home and feel my dog sleeping in my lap again.” Throughout the next few weeks, R had a partial gastrectomy to stop the bleeding. Although she improved and was able to leave the hospital to a rehabilitation center, new problems arose. Her right arm was healing, but a new bone lesion appeared in her left. Her delicate femur fractured just from sitting down on the toilet. As part of the longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC), I continued to follow R throughout my third year. During the LIC, medical students follow a panel of patients throughout the year, seeing the continuum of total health from outpatient appointments and hospitalizations to personal crises and changes in their social histories. It allows students to see how health unfolds for patients, and become advocates for them as they navigate the complex health care system. I was with R as she prepared for surgery to fix her femur. I accompanied her to a radiation appointment, where she received palliative treatment for bone pain. I was able to be with her before and during a subsequent surgery to fix her left arm. I visited her during a dialysis session, one of the three she goes to every week. Her husband updated me every step of the way. Finally, at the end of August, R was able to go home. Before she and her husband left for Florida for the winter, I paid them a visit. It was a very special feeling to see R in her own home, her dog by her side, just as she had wished. A few days before Christmas, I got an email from Rs husband. It had a video of her walking several steps on her own, with a walker, and then sitting down in a chair, smiling as always, dog at her side. In the six months I had known her, I had never seen her walk on her own. Those small steps represented one of the most special moments in my medical training. In the LIC, I learned a lot about each field of medicine; I gained more knowledge than I thought possible. But R helped me learn something more abstract, about the power of remaining optimistic and hopeful in the face of the enormous adversity of disease that, as health care providers, we easily lose sight of. To this day I get regular updates about Rs health, the obstacles that present themselves, and her continual resolution to push past them. I am convinced her recovery from these obstacles is due in large part to her tenacity and positivity. I am grateful to the longitudinal integrated clerkship for giving me the opportunity to learn so much from R, and witness the way health care extends from the hospital to impact the smallest, most intimate and important parts of our patients daily lives.

Service Information Visitation Friday January 20, 2017 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM Sansone Funeral Home 192 Wood Street Bristol, RI 02809 --> Service Saturday January 21, 2017 10:00 AM St. Mary's Church 330 Wood St. Bristol, RI -->