Just a brief note to let y’all know that my wife, May, passed away yesterday, August 1st.
She was in the Arlington Memorial Hospital (in Arlington, TX) for treatment of a combination of pneumonia and congestive heart failure. The nurse on duty said that she was telling May about a procedure that they were going to do to try to help with her breathing problems, and May nodded, as if she understood. The nurse turned away for a moment, and when she turned back, May had stopped breathing. It seems to have been very peaceful. (We rather suspect that she was simply unwilling to put up with yet another invasive procedure.)
May had been in a skilled nursing facility for two months, for treatment of bed sores, when she began having difficulty breathing. They put her on antibiotics on the second day, but by the third day, it was bad enough that they decided to send her to the hospital. She was admitted on July 29th and seemed to be responding to treatment, but then had a relapse early on the 1st.
We’re having her body cremated and will keep the urn at home for the time being. There being only a few family members who know her here, we will not be having any kind of ceremony.
In spite of the fact that we’ve been expecting her to go any time, it’s still been an emotional time for the family. It’s quite a relief to finally have her suffering ended, though, so no need for condolences. If she could have had her way, it wouldn’t have taken nearly so long.
We were just four months away from our 40th wedding anniversary, and for the seven years since her stroke, I’ve been almost entirely focussed on her care, so I’ve got some heavy adjusting to do. It’s still strange to think that I can just go out, get in the car, and go somewhere with hardly a second thought.
Hope everyone on C&F is doing well.