My family, particularly my Wife, have been caring for her 88 year old mum for the last 10 months or so, ever since she had a nasty fall in December 2017 when she fractured her shoulder and needed to be hospitalised for a few weeks. It's been a long road dotted with optimism but also balanced with sadness, a classic tale of gradual decline.
Recently she was diagnosed with Leukaemia which has been getting worse over the last few weeks, it eventually took her life at 9 am this morning. Fortunately, my Wife was with her, holding her hand as she died, it was very peaceful and she was in her own bed; this arrangement was her last wish. There's not much to say about the end of life process that hasn't been said a million times before, a time to reflect on the value of good health, family bonds and, most importantly, a life well lived and appreciated. I'm sure like most people, my own feelings are mixed. When we reach the end of our lives we're most thankful for the knowledge, compassion and skill of those that went before us, for modern medicine and for education, the alleviation of pain and the understanding of what is happening to those affected counts for much. However, because of this greater understanding we also realise that so much more could be achieved! Better, quicker diagnosis, more effective treatments, more Human dignity at the end, and, the raw potential of a longer (healthy) innings; life goes on, as it must.
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