Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Good Bye Nancy


On the way home tonight I stopped at Nathan Adelson Hospice. My friend from work, Nancy, is not expected to live out the night. Nancy went into the hospital this summer to have a hysterectomy. About a week before she was to come back to work she was feeling ill, like she couldn't swallow without throwing up. She told her surgeon and he sent her to her regular doctor because this was not a problem associated with her surgery. Turns out Nancy had small cell carcinoma of the lungs and had metastasized to her liver. Later on it went into her brain as well. She had radiation therapy throughout the summer and the cancer in her brain went away, but the liver caught up with her. Her only hope was to have a liver transplant and it was too late for that too. Nancy is about 62 years old, not all that old. She is the most optimistic person I have ever met. She is/was a lot of fun and very sensible. She just knew that she would outlive her husband who is in poor health and even had plans to move to Florida to be near her friends after he died. Little did she or anyone know that she would be the first to go. When I left her tonight, she was breathing just like my mother did on the day she died. Judging from the way she is breathing, she has about 12 hours left. Seeing her in bed and breathing like that brought all the feelings of my own mother's death 10 years ago.

Nancy, I just want to say I love you and will miss you. You were a great friend and I have missed and will miss you always. Thanks for holding on at least long enough for me to say goodbye. I'll see you on the other side someday, I just hope not too soon. Peace be with you.

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