Nathaniel "Kayne" Finley passed away Friday, November 24, 2017

Hello family and friends, Most of you are aware, Kayne our beloved son and brother passed away yesterday Friday, November 24, 2017 at 8:20 A.M. Kayne got out of the hospital on Monday and was able to come home although he physically could have stayed at the hospital. The Vitas Hospice staff helped get all the supplies we needed to care for him. For their help and support we are grateful. On Thursday, the week before Thanksgiving as Kayne lay in his hospital, Kayne told me what he wanted for Thanksgiving. He told me pulled pork with BBQ sauce, cream corn and mashed sweet potatoes. The next question was where from. He said, “Montgomery Inn is the best.” He also knew we were in Florida and Montgomery Inn was in Cincinnati. I contacted our friend Dean Gregory, owner of Montgomery Inn Boathouse. Dean told me he would ship it out for us and we would get it Tuesday. On Friday, while on the phone with Dean I told Kayne and he rubbed his belly and said, “Hmm, Hmm.” He also wanted to make sure I told Dean how thankful he was for him shipping it for him. Kayne also said how great it would be to eat the BBQ, cream corn and sweet potatoes. He then followed up with, then Friday hopefully Heaven. This was his last meal request in a sense. Kayne was tired Tuesday but he was interactive and he asked if we could have the BBQ even though it wasn’t Thanksgiving. There was no way Kirsten and I were going to say no to that request. We are grateful for giving it to him. Even though he had struggled eating and had the NG tube in for tube feeding he was able to eat everything he wanted with no problems. We brought Kayne home Monday night. We can’t thank the Nursing staff enough at Shand’s Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Florida. They were so caring, nice and helpful to all of us. Wednesday he was very tired. His suitemate Noah and his mom, Amy Harper drove from Louisianna to visit with Kayne. They drove 11 hours to be able to see Kayne awake for about 30 minutes. They are glad they did. Kirsten and I gave Kayne a shower. It was very hard has he had practically no strength in his legs and he couldn’t hold himself up. He hadn’t had a shower since the day he went to the hospital. It felt so good to wash his hair and clean him up. Kirsten dried his hair this time because he felt she did it better. Kayne didn’t feel like eating so he had a tube feeding. He slept most of the day except for a few minutes on and off. Thanksgiving Day, Kirsten tried to give him Turkey before giving him the BBQ. He could not swallow it so he had his last tube feeding. It seemed like the day would be ok. After getting him to the bathroom he asked to sleep in our little full size Nook bed. They love that bed and it was right beside his hospital bed on the 3rd floor. That is where I was sleeping to be with him at night. He kept coughing and was lethargic. He didn’t look good and we took turns loving on him. Kirsten spent the most time laying with him crying. We had some tension among the three of us (Keagan, Kirsten, myself) because we hated seeing Kayne like he was. We called Vitas Hospice and they came out to evaluate Kayne. His breathing was much more labored so they gave him Morphine to help. Kayne had us move him to the hospital bed. He was joking and talking like he had done a few days before. Kayne asked Keagan to skip swim practice Friday morning. This was rare. Keagan sat with Kayne through the night. Kayne began coughing and struggling again at midnight. By 3am all of us were with Kayne. We gave him more morphine and he seemed to begin breathing a little better. We all fell asleep with or near him. Kayne coughed some around 8am. Kirsten was rubbing his shoulders with oil and at 8:20 A.M. she looked out the window and he quit breathing. We all lost it. Checking to see if we were wrong, continuing to search for a pulse. I wanted him out of pain and I felt I was prepared, but it was so hard to see him lifeless. I am happy to see him out of pain! I hate DIPG and what it took from his body bit by bit until he couldn’t do anything, but I am thankful he had DIPG for the year we had to tell, know and see how much we loved each other. Many tragedies I would not have had that time with him. Kayne accepted the Lord into his life on Thursday. Praise the Lord. Kayne was transported to the University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where he wanted to donate his brain and tumor for further research so they can have a better understanding of his tumor. That was completed today. The funeral arrangements are listed below. September 2, 1999 - November 24,2017 Nathaniel “Kayne” Finley, 18, of Ormond Beach, Fla. went to his forever home on the morning of November 24, 2017, just one year after learning he had DIPG-Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a rare form of pediatric brain cancer. Born to Curtis Lee and Kirsten Darlene Finley, Kayne grew up in Union, Ky., moving to Florida in 2013. Swimming has always been part of Kayne’s life. He was a member of USA Swimming through Northern Kentucky Clippers and Daytona Beach Speed swimming clubs. He swam for one year with Ryle High School and as an alumnae of Spruce Creek High School, Port Orange, Fla., Kayne swam and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity while beginning a national, public charity, called Cannonballs for Kayne Foundation, at the age of 17, with a mission to raise awareness and fund research for a DIPG cure, while also assisting families afflicted with this terrible disease and other forms of brain cancer. Enrolled as a college freshman and Assistant Swimming Manager at Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge, Kayne was pursuing an Animal Sciences bachelor’s degree in the College of Agriculture with aspirations of becoming a DVM (doctor of veterinary medicine). Kayne is preceded in death by his maternal grandmother, Jacalynn Leigh Ransom, and paternal grandfather, Curtis Dean Finley. Kayne will be dearly missed by his devoted father, mother and brother, Nicholas “Keagan” Finley, along with maternal grandparents, William (Lila) Ransom, of Union, Ky. and paternal grandparents, Gary (Doris) Witt, Lisa Finley and aunts Amy Finley and Kara Andrews of London, Ky., aunts and uncles: William (Michele) Yazell, Marc (Ashley) Richardson and Eric (Lori) Phillips also of Union. Visitation for Kayne will be held on Thursday, November 30, 3-6 pm, Memorial Service from 6-7 pm at Linnemann’s Funeral Homes, 30 Commonwealth Avenue, Erlanger, Ky. Reception immediately following Memorial Service at Christ’s Chapel, 3819 Turfway Road, Erlanger, Ky. A Celebration of Life service will be planned in Florida after the new year. Honor Kayne by wearing your purple and gold for LSU and gold and gray for pediatric brain cancer with splashes of light blue/turquoise to symbolize the water and his love for swimming. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to further Kayne’s mission: Cannonballs for Kayne Foundation, P.O. Box 1738, Ormond Beach, FL 32175 or online at: CannonballsForKayne.org. http://www.linnemannfuneralhomes.com/…/nathaniel-kayne-fin…/