WE'RE NEVER PREPARED FOR THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE.Byline: EDNA EdNA Education Network Australia EDNA Emergency Developing Need Assistance EDNA Elevation Derivatives for National Applications EDNA Emergency Department Nurses Association EDNA Environmental Designation for Noise Abatement EDNA Eating Disorders National Awards SIMPSON MOST of us one day will encounter the burden of losing a loved one, whether it's a sudden death or the result of long-term suffering. We're never prepared. The thought of death never comes to our minds until it happens to someone we love or know. I was in Chicago last month for a family reunion Often an annual event, a family reunion takes place on a specified day each year for the purpose of keeping an extended family closer together. Some reunions may be held less often. when my cell phone rang. On the other end was a voice that asked, ``Did you know your stepfather-in-law has passed away?'' I cried out, ``No! What'' My first reaction was to quickly call home, where another voice confirmed that, yes, he was no longer with us. Emptiness and disbelief covered my whole body from head to toe. Remembering our last encounter -- the last look in his suffering eyes, the last smile. He is no longer with us -- words you don't want to ever hear. No warm blood flowing through his veins. No short or long breaths to take. No heartbeat or pulse. No eyes to open or blink blink the involuntary movement of one or both eyelids of both eyes simultaneously. The frequency varies between species. Cats blink the least, with the possible exception of owls. In birds it is the lower eyelid which is moved up to meet the upper lid. . No ears to barely hear. No lips to smile or frown. No hands to cling or clap. No strength to stand or walk. No Alzheimer's. No dementia,. No lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. . No suffering. Just a silent separation of the soul from the body to another place where life is everlasting everlasting or immortelle (ĭm'ôrtĕl`), names for numerous plants characterized by papery or chaffy flowers that retain their form and often their color when dried and are used for winter bouquets and decorations. . Death waits for no one, but love is eternal. Upon returning home, I slowly opened the bedroom door where he used to sleep. The smell of a flowery flow·er·y adj. flow·er·i·er, flow·er·i·est 1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of flowers: a flowery perfume. 2. Abounding in or covered with flowers. 3. scent filled the room. All the curtains were draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. back, and a burst of golden sunlight covered the room. As I turned toward the bed where he slept, wanting so badly to say, ``Good morning!'' like I normally do, the emptiness of the room made it obvious that he was no longer there. The pillows were stacked on top of each other at the head of the bed. The flowered comforter was pulled back toward the foot of the bed. The plastic covering that laid over the mattress was no longer there. His gray and black slippers that I had carefully put on his long, narrow feet were still at the side of the bed. I turned to the right, opened the shower door, and saw the handicapped stool still positioned sideways in the shower. Remembering how he loved the warm water streaming down his back. The towels that usually hung on top of the shower door had been removed. His wheelchair and walker were neatly placed up against the wall, ready to be returned to the medical supply company. Regretfully re·gret·ful adj. Full of regret; sorrowful or sorry. re·gret  ful·ly adv.re·gret , I wasn't there when he went down that silent road to heaven. But I was there when it counted. Death waits for no one, but love is eternal. He fought a long fight with Alzheimer's, dementia and lung cancer. Now he is free and at peace. |
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