Long-time, faithful readers know that I have a dear friend whose father
has been ill. My friend has already dealt with more in her 30
years than some do in an entire life-time. She's a very very
smart, compassionate, witty woman.
She has had brain cancer. They removed most of the tumor, but she
has had a rough time with the chemo and the after-effects. Some
of those include having seizures periodically, a frustratingly shoddy
memory, tiring at an alarming rate.
After taking care of her mother for most of her own high-school and
college years, she made the heart-wrenching decision to place her mom
in a nursing home where she now is in the late stages of
dementia. She barely recognizes my friend, her own
daughter. So, for the last several years, it has been my friend
and her father.
Until Sunday morning, that is. The cancer finally took the man's
life. He died at home, which is what he wanted. He slipped
through the cracks and crevices of the VA, not receiving adequate
treatment, including pain-medication.
His finally days were awful. He was tormented, in horrible torturous pain. The passing was not peaceful.
My friend and her father both cried out for the end to be swift.
Sadly, it was not as fast as they would have liked. However, he
is gone. My friend was alone with him when he did burst out of
this world.
She is in profound shock, numb, hating to awake each day to face
reality. My heart aches for her and my fondest wish is that when
she can, she will reach out and accept help instead of maintaining
stoic facade of strength and stone. She is so heart-sore.
I ask that you pray, send warm thoughts and wishes, do whatever it is
you do, but please, please, keep her in mind. Thank you.
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what a difficult time your friend must be going through; will say a prayer for her tomorrow when I pray that she will be comforted
ReplyDeletebetty