GOT MIA

[godofthunder]

Not harsh at all Kenny.............................

[Stjofön Big]

I remember sitting at my unconscious fathers bed in the summer of -97, along with my younger brother Ulf - who passed away this June after several years of fighting with the ugly cancer - holding dads hands. Our father did not show any sign of awakeness. But suddenly he opened his eyes, turned his head and looked at me, smiled, then turned his head the other way, looked and smiled at Ulf. Closed his eyes. Three hours later it was over.
That was one fine moment I'll carry the rest of my life.
Mama left six years later. Sitting in her hospital bed, holding the phone, and calling social services to arrange for her future living as she could not take care of her one-person household no more, possibly sitting in a wheelchair. So, she left right in her step. Just as she lived. Always moving.
We all know the end is always in sight. Still we're - usually - not prepared when it arrives.

[drbassman]

I had good news, bad news situations with both of my parents.  They each died suddenly with heart failure (several years apart), and in an instant they were gone.  While neither of them suffered or lingered for months, I was living out of state at the time and wasn't there.  I couldn't have done anything anyway, but I always felt a bit at a loss as my sister had to deal with all of it immediately as she lived in the same town and I was out of state.  Even getting there later that day didn't seem like enough.

Ironically, in both cases, I had spent time with both of them just the week before they died and had some good memories from those visits.  Things have a way of working out and we have the rest of our lives to sort it out.  The best memory is remembering all that they did for us and never forgetting their efforts born out of their love.

I pray all of you have great memories of your parents and the warmest feelings when you think of them!

[Highlander]

The last couple of weeks have been pretty rough and things came to pass this week... Jackie and one of her sisters had been sharing overnight stays at the hospital with their mum... she was not expected to last past last Friday but somehow (not through luck, more like a cruel twist of fate) lasted until this Wednesday evening - I had only just got to the hospital to bring my Jackie some soup when we both noticed a drop in her mum's breathing rate, and twenty minutes later she was gone...

Same as both my parents, she had been given an auto-driven morphine feed to ease the last moments... the only blessing was that it was peaceful at the passing and that she had finally got a private room so she had some dignity...

In the UK we have what is known as "care-in-the-community" which means "unstable" patients are mixed in with more regular types... next to my MIL was a lady with advanced dementia that spent most of her nights screaming about a fire, when she was moved out the next person spent her nights trying to steal mum's blankets...! Another "patient" had given a nurse a black eye one night, attacked two others and took a swing at Jackie's sister. Closest she got to directly pestering my wife was demanding that she help her into bed one night and she told her to call a nurse... she got in by herself without any problem - long term in the hospital patient in her seventies and prone to wandering about without clothes on... ... just plain nasty...

The last two days have been spent processing the legals and now I'm on call for the next 7 nights...

[drbassman]

Wow Kenny, what a grind for you and your wife.  I'm sorry to hear she passed away.  You and your wife and her family are in my prayers.

[godofthunder]

  Wow Kenny it's awful no matter what. My deepest condolences. Cath's Dad passed last Monday and we postponed the calling hours, Funeral and wake till this week, Paulie was laid to rest on this past Wednesday. It's been a month that's for sure.

[Highlander]

Cheer's guys... appreciated

Scott... condolences to you and yours too... rip...

[Stjofön Big]

My deepest sympathy to you and your family, Kenny and Scott. It'll be a while before you're all absolutely on your feets again, but you'll get there.

[Dave W]

Condolences to both of you and yours.

[drbassman]

Sorry to hear Scott, prayers go out to you and Cath's family.

[patman]

both of you are in my prayers

[Big_Stu]

Sorry to be so slow to catch up with this; deepest sympathies to both of you, Kenny & Scott - and to your families.

[exiledarchangel]

My deepest condolences to both of you from me and my wife guys, a loss is always a loss, no matter if you were expecting it to happen or not. I remember how harsh was for my wife her father's loss when she was 19, almost everyone else on her family collapsed and she was the only one courageous enough to take care of stupid bureocratic things, like the absence of a will as it was so sudden. Hold on.

[lowend1]

My sympathy to all who have been dealing with these very difficult circumstances - on top of everything else we get handed on a day-to-day basis. You aren't alone, that's for sure. Try to eat and sleep well - and take time to enjoy the good stuff.

[patman]

Just got back from visiting an old bandmate who had a stroke on Thanksgiving..pretty scary stuff.  Count your blessings.