My Mom died on October 17,2000 after a lengthy illness with COPD. Every organ in her 95 lb body was failing and all the medicine in the world wasn?t helping her condition. Her diabetes went out of control with falling blood sugars one minute to elevated ones the next. Her deteriorated lungs were causing right-sided heart failure with fluid retention in her extremities, her arms were filled with paper thin skin tears from prolonged use of cortisone that were all bandaged like a mummy and yet she struggled on for me. I am an only child with no other family alive. We shared a home together and I tried to keep it together like it used to be until finally we decided mutually she could no longer stay at home alone while I was working. I admitted her in an assisted living facility and even that was too much.
The three weeks she was there she was back and forth via ambulance to the hospital. She had a skin tear on her leg that was nothing more than a pin whole and quarts of water were running out of it. The team at the assisted living wellness center put sanitary napkins on it to soak up the fluid. Her suffering is over but now mine has begun. I am alone and I miss her terribly. The house is empty and quiet. My beloved ShihTzu is gone too. He died in September. I miss her strength, her companionship and most of all her love. I am at peace with the fact that she is at rest and I realize people get old and die. I can?t seem to understand why she had to end her life like this. She was a brilliant lady who was admired by many people. She taught high school French for 29 years and loved helping young people reach their goals. I hope God takes care of her now and I hope I can remember the good times we spent together rather than the last two years.
Andr
