This is when it sucks to be long-distance.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I live 6-8 hours from my family in Virginia (some are 6 hours away, some are 8 hours away). My aunt is in the hospital right now, on a ventilator, and there’s a very good chance that she’s not going to live. She was diagnosed with lung cancer about three weeks ago, and then they found a brain tumor that they removed two weeks ago. While in the ICU, apparently, she contracted some sort of blood infection, which is what has landed her in the hospital on the ventilator now.

She’s about sixteen years older than my mom, and has always been like a second mother to her - my mom’s actually closer to her than she was to her mother, and it is absolutely KILLING me to hear my mom cry on the phone and not be able to hug her.

They’re deciding whether or not to take my aunt off the ventilator in the next day or so.

This just f-ing sucks.

E.

2

{{{{hugs}}}}

3

I hear you, Elza B.. I live ~2000 miles from my family, or 30h by car and 3-6 by plane. My last two visits home were for deaths in the family, just under a year apart, and for the first, I was the only descendent not in the room when he died.

I was, and am, devestated. But with this kind of distance, a trip home becomes a logistical nightmare. And that’s without an emergency.

I have you and yours in my thoughts.

4

{{{{{Elza B}}}}}

5

I sympathize, too. I live 7000 + miles away and my favorite uncle - he almost adopted me, I found out a few years back - recently underwent open-heart surgery. :frowning: I wished I could be with him.

Lots of hugs.

6

Thanks, everyone - I hate that it’s so hard for everyone to get home when we need to get home :(. I’m sorry you guys have gone through this, too.

I’m still waiting to hear anything. My mom sounded better last night, but still not great.

E.

7

I’m so sorry, Elza. I am fortunate (or unfortunate, whichever) to live within an hour’s drive of most of my family. I can’t imagine being unable to see one of them at will/need.

8

Sorry to hear that Elza. Now stop posting here and go visit your mother. She needs you.

9

I am sorry to hear your news. Sending supporting thoughts your way!

10

Actually, she told us not to come. We were there a couple of weeks ago to see my aunt, so I feel better about that. Depending on what happens in the next couple of days, we’ll decide if we’re going back out.

E.

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{{Elza}}

Go see her anyway. She’ll be disappointed you disobeyed her, but she’ll be more disappointed if you don’t.

12

Actually, I talked to my mom today and we’re all kind of reeling. Yesterday, my cousin thought everything was over and she was ready to give up.

Today, they took my aunt off of the ventilator, expecting her not to be able to breathe on her own…not only was she able to breathe on her own, she woke up and her first words were “I’m hungry!” (and for those of us who know her, those were the funniest words she could have ever said). There’s still the cancer, but we’re all pretty stunned by this turn of events - we expected her to die two days ago, and today, well…she’s better. Granted, she still has a huge tumor in her lung, but we’ll deal with that. The important thing is that she’s awake and alive.

E.