Many of you know the long, sorrowful story of my four brothers who have Muscular Dystrophy.
Last night, after a very long, painfully slow decline, Brother #2, Tom, passed away peacefully in his sleep. He had been confined to his bed for more than three years and had survived many near death experiences ( stafph infection, several rounds of pnuemonia, blood pressure dropping, breathing issues…) and has lingered for months. Hospice was finally brought in about three weeks ago. Those ladies are physical evidence of angels on earth.
He just turned 50 on the 16th of April. He never married. Had no children. Had no friends, except the acquaintences at the group home he was at, other sad, sad cases.
That leaves one brother (#4) left and he is doing alright health wise as he is still mobile, but it has to be hard to see three older brothers all die and know that is exactly how you will die.
Fortunately, his funeral plans are all pre done, so it won’t be the combined thrill of massive guilt trip at the funeral home combined with sticker shock. All that needs to be done is set the times for the big send off.
Please keep my Mom in your thoughts and prayers. She has borne such a terrible burden with all my brothers and now that this part is over, frankly, she will not know what to do with herself. Worrying and fretting over an invalid has occupied her life pretty much 24/7 for the past several years. She is 77. She has been a widow for 27 years now. She is a tremendous lady with class and a sense of humor (and massive co-dependency issues.)
And keep me in your thoughts as every time I think of *what could * have been and it’s just so grossly unfair and other assorted toxic things, I just get so mad at it all. They were robbed of a life.
I know that Fate has put me into this family so as to help my mother through this terrible ordeal, it is a ring of fire that tests me over and over again, it still doesn’t mean I have to like it.
