R.I.P. Ravendruid

Hello DD friends,

Long time no see, I know. I really wish I had better news after so long, but I wanted to let you guys know that Craig (a.k.a. Ravendruid) passed away last Friday. It was an absolute shock to everyone. He had seen his doctor the day before and nothing really seemed wrong, it was mostly a diabetes checkup. He went to bed about 3 hours before I did that night. Everything seemed fine when I went to sleep, not anything even remarkable. I woke up two hours later and it sounded like he had severely bad sleep apnea (snores loud) but this sounded a lot rougher. I tried shaking him a bit to wake him up like I normally do and there was no response. I got more assertive and started calling his name to see if I could get a response. By this point I knew something was really wrong and about 2 minutes after I woke up I called 911 (the emergency number in the U.S.) It took them 18 minutes to establish a heartbeat before they could take him to the hospital. It took days to finally have the final MRI to see if he could wake up. He was still moving, but the part of his brain that makes him himself was gone from the lack of oxygen. The doctor told his sister that he had a rare heart condition called Brugada syndrome that changed his heartbeat into one that "wasn't sustainable of life" from what the doctor said. He just turned 45 a month ago. He was an organ doner and I did my best to honor his wishes.

I wanted to let you guys know because some of you knew and cared for him. He really loved the DD community even though he hasn't been here in years. His Yuriko was always his joy and frequent companion. A little more than a year ago he suffered a stroke and he had to relearn how to use the entire left side of his body. He was doing really well and was able to function around the house, after managing to regain close to 90% of his function. No one even knew anything was wrong. I know I certainly did not have a clue.

We were married 24 years, together for 29, and he was my high school sweetheart and best friend. Life is pretty surreal for me right now, leaving me with not knowing much more to say.

 

~Sister Kyoya/JChiibs

I am deeply sorry to hear about the passing of Craig. Please accept my heartfelt condolences during this incredibly difficult time. Losing a loved one is never easy, and I can only imagine the pain and grief you must be experiencing.

Please take care of yourself and remember to lean on your friends and family for comfort and strength.

Sending you love, strength, and my sincerest condolences.

This is devastating news and I’m still in shock, I’ve just been staring into space. I can’t even begin to imagine how you feel, J. When I first joined (the older version of) this forum, you and Craig were two of the people I remembered from my newbie days the most. I remember seeing your photos (and even a video at one point) as a newbie, and thinking how cool it was that there were couples in the hobby together, who supported eachothers interests the way you did.
Craig was always very kind and genuine - even though I didn’t talk to him a great deal, I was always glad to hear from him and see his posts and comments on Instagram/twitter. I hadn’t seen them for a while, and it feels so wrong to think i won’t see them again. 

Goodbye, ravendruid. I wish you could have stayed longer.

I’m so sorry, J.

I'm very sorry for your loss

Sending you all the strength and comfort I can. As someone else who has also married their high school sweetheart, I cannot imagine what you're going through right now. While we never talked, seeing posts from you and Craig always made me smile. I always enjoyed the way you two would post here back in my newbie days too. I am so terribly sorry for your loss...He will be very much missed.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Like an above poster said, please take care of yourself and I hope you can lean on your loved ones for support during this difficult time. 

*Hugs* 😭😭😭

Raven/Craig was a wonderful person and one of the kindest I knew, on and off the hobby. I haven't been as active in it the past few years but I treasure those memories of how nice you both were when I was first starting. I am also glad for remaining in contact with you both in our other respective social media accounts. I cannot begin to understand how much you are going through but I pray that you remain strong and supported throughout. I am so very for your loss my friend and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Let me know if you need anything.

Rest in Peace, Craig. 😞🙏

 

Thank you so much for the messages. I do appreciate them so very much. Please forgive me for taking a while to reply. My brain has been chaos and I keep forgetting things. It's been 10 days and I just feel numb all the time. I have a lot of family support that I appreciate, but it's the first time in my life that I've lived alone. We got married when we were almost 21 and I was still living at home. It's so weird being 45 and having thoughts that I haven't had since I was 18 when I was thinking about what I would do living in my own apartment. I've been suddenly thrust on a road that I didn't anticipate for another 15 years at the soonest. And there is such a vast scope of unknowns.

Even though I have not posted photos or photo stories in years, my DD are still very much a part of my life. They always will be. I don't know when yet that I'll be moving to a new place but this house is too big and too much to manage. Knowing the Kiddos, I'd be surprised to bits if they didn't want to run around and explore a new place. I'm not sure if I'd have the energy or strength to do photos, but it would make me happy if I could. I know it certainly would make Craig happy. It's all just so surreal.

Remember to not wait to tell your loved ones that you love them. Even if you have hundreds or thousands more chances to, doing it every time you think of it will leave one massive less regret if they are suddenly gone.

I feel grateful that I had a year and two more months with him because his stroke could have ended it right there. I made sure to tell him everyday, if not multiple times, that I love him. I am so glad that I did. I can't imagine the "survivors' guilt" I'd have if I hadn't. It would be a regret I'd never be able to live with. I saw how much it ate him up that he didn't get to say goodbye to his dad who passed away many years ago. So I always made a point to tell Craig that I loved him especially when there was no reason not to.

Thank you for letting me talk a little. I hope you find something to bring a smile to your face today. 🥰

~SK

Sorry for your loss. My condolences for this difficult time. I can’t find the right words but know that my thoughts go towards all relatives. 

 

This is definitely a huge loss, not only to you Kyoya, but to the doll community here.  I am so sorry to hear about this.  You two were always so active here and provided so many wonderful stories and photos with your dolls.  I especially remember Tama and his adventures.  I loved seeing him and Dolly get into trouble only to come out unscathed at the end.  Those two were so cool.

I know there's not much to say because it's hard to convey feelings well in text but just know that I personally am choked up about it and I know a lot of the other veterans here are too.  Please vent or chat or share anything and everything you want or need to here in order to help yourself.  

Stay strong and keep on going, that's what Ravendruid would want.   

 

Love you guys,

 

Billy