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ALEX LEARYJessie Hinrichs, whose struggle to raise her children while fighting cancer touched many, died Tuesday.
NEW PORT RICHEY - Jessie Hinrichs was in her hospital bed Tuesday afternoon, wracked with pain. But her thoughts were not about the cancer in her lung and liver. She turned to her husband: "Be home when the kids get off the bus," she insisted, "and have dinner ready."
Two hours later, (Sept. 14, 2004) Mrs. Hinrichs died.
She was 45 and the mother of four foster children and two of her own.
"She was an amazing human being," Fred Hinrichs said Wednesday on his way to make arrangements for cremation. "Her spirit is going to live on in those kids."
The couple have been profiled several times in the Pasco Times, beginning in late 2002 when they took in three children: Violet, Fred Hinrichs' daughter from a previous relationship, and her siblings, James and Tiffany. "We couldn't let them be split up," Fred said then.
Along with Mrs. Hinrichs' son, Robert, the new clan squeezed into a mobile home in Moon Lake. A year later, Christina, who is related to Violet and the others, was taken in.
Their existence was bare, getting by on Fred Hinrichs' landscaping business and the charity of friends, neighbors and strangers taken by the story. Because the Hinrichses are not official foster parents, they did not get stipends granted to foster families.
But the bond held, anchored by Mrs. Hinrichs' relentless devotion to the children, her husband said.
Mrs. Hinrichs was diagnosed with lung cancer in February of this year, and the disease spread to her liver. She had trouble breathing and routine tasks, like going to the grocery store or washing the dishes, were tough.
She vowed to fight it off. "I pray to God I do, anyway," she said in July, her head nearly bald from chemotherapy. "God gave me these kids. He ain't going to take them from me."
One of the many people touched by the situation was Henry Perdue of Zephyrhills. Reading about Mrs. Hinrichs' wish for a chance to escape the daily struggle, Perdue donated a week's stay at a time share in Orlando, and others helped out, including his Moose lodge. Disney gave the family first-class treatment.
When Mrs. Hinrichs showed up at the condo in July, she was dog tired, Perdue said. She stood blankly as the others got a tour. Purdue called her aside and brought her into the master bedroom, which has a whirlpool. "Her face just lit up," he recalled. "That just made my day."
The joy was temporary. The situation got worse. Monday morning she had trouble breathing. "She seemed in a lot of pain but she wouldn't tell me," her husband said. She refused to go to the hospital, saying she wanted to see James, 14, Christina, 13, and Violet, 9, participate in the Special Olympics at Leisure Lanes in Hudson.
"She had to go," Fred said. "Her kids were everything to her."
More pain Tuesday morning. Mrs. Hinrichs was cold and clammy and could barely breathe.
"I'm calling the ambulance," her husband told her.
"Don't you dare until Violet gets on the bus," she said.
When they arrived at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point at 9:30 a.m., Fred Hinrichs did not think things were too serious. Nor did his wife, who told him to get home for the kids. About 12:30, though, doctors said they would connect Mrs. Hinrichs to a ventilator.
Her husband went outside to make phone calls. On return, he was greeted by a chaplain's assistant, and moments later, Mrs. Hinrichs was pronounced dead. "It was a complete shock," her husband said. "I didn't say anything. I just broke down."
The kids have struggled with the new reality, he said. They are getting grief counseling at school and Hernando-Pasco Hospice has helped, too.
"I'm going to keep us together," said Fred Hinrichs when asked what would happen to the family. He said he will see them off in the morning, then go to work. "It's going to be difficult, but I'm going to do it. Jessie wouldn't have it any other way."
A memorial service for Mrs. Hinrichs, who was born in Kansas but lived most of her life in Pasco, will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Moon Lake Civic Center.
Susan Haines has asked for time off from her job at Publix to attend. Only eight years younger than Mrs. Hinrichs, she thinks of her as her mother. Mrs. Hinrichs cared for Haines' two children over the years, particularly 11-year-old Peggy.
"Yesterday I had to be strong for my daughter," Haines said Wednesday.
"Today I'm lost. She was the person that was always there for you. She was a wonderful lady."
Alex Leary can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6247, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6247. His e-mail address is leary@sptimes.com