The Respect Life Ministry at St. Raymond Parish in Downey will host a talk on end-of-life issues Aug. 10, 6:30-8 p.m.
The event will feature special guest Stephanie Packer, a wife and mother living with a terminal illness. Packer was diagnosed with Lupus in 2004. In 2012, she was diagnosed with scleroderma, an illness that hardens the lungs. The three years she was given to live have come and gone, but Packer continues to value each day despite her suffering.
Speaking out against the assisted suicide bill, SB 128, Packer says that she hopes her children can learn from her struggle. “Even if my kids aren’t sick,” she says, “they’ll see the importance of not giving up. You don’t run away from it. You walk through it and hold the people who you love close.”
Also speaking at the event is Betty Odello, a registered nurse with a masters of science in nursing. Odello is a speaker on end-of-life issues and gender selection. She also serves on the archdiocesan Life, Justice, and Peace Commission.
The event is located at St. Raymond Catholic Church’s Msgr. Gipson Hall, 12348 Paramount Blvd., Downey. For more information about the event, please call (562) 923-4509.
