Why I hate this time of the year
Seems like my relatives fancy dying around this time of the year and this year's been no different. I've lost my grandmother, aunt, two uncles in the month of December. Three friends committed suicide either on Christmas Eve or a few days before it. One December we lost my mother's mother (the day after my Dad's birthday) and her half brother within three weeks of each other.
We had no idea Bobbie, my mother's older sister, was in bad health until last Monday. Bobbie's our favorite aunt, she was always joking or laughing and a big traveller...a very happy woman. Mom called Bobbie when she received a 50th Wedding Anniversary card with a check in it from her. Their 50th isn't for another four years. But when Bobbie answered the phone she was slurring and dropped the phone. Mom thought she was busy with her grandchildren and said she'd call her back. Bobbie was with her youngest daughter and her children fixing sandwiches then. Wednesday we got a call that Bobbie had suffered a stroke, quite possibly while she was on the phone with Mom, but fought off everyone until Wednesday. By then it was too late to do anything for the damage done; she had some slight paralysis of her left side. They kept her overnight for observation and released her the next day after putting her on blood thinner.
I told Mom I had recently seen an episode of Paramedics on the Discovery Channel (I think) where a very similar incident happened to a man the same age. He was expected to recover when he suddenly died of a massive stroke later that night while in the hospital. I said to Mom that I worried something similar could happen to Bobbie.
Mom was able to speak with Bobbie the day she was released from the hospital. Said Bobbie acted like nothing was wrong, but she couldn't remember some things, especially dates. The call lasted a while and Mom told Bobbie she loved her before the call ended. Mom was unsettled and worried for her sister after hanging up.
We were visiting my youngest sister's family Christmas morning to see what Santa brought for her kids when we got a call that Bobbie had died. She was at Darryl's house (her son) celebrating with the kids and late that night she was going upstairs to go to bed. (They sometimes stay up to 3am.) Darryl saw it happen. She had apparently had a massive stroke while on the stairs and fell backwards with no effort in catching herself. Her head struck the floor and the paramedics could not resusitate her...she was pronounced when they arrived at the hospital.
We're feeling horrible for poor Darryl. How awful to witness the death of anyone, muchless your parent. But we were all talking about how wonderful it was that Bobbie got to speak to her siblings right up to the day before she died. She was happy and celebrating the last Christmas with her beloved children and grandchildren. She was our favorite aunt on my Mom's side of the family and her death will probably become synoymous with Christmas. I think if I were to go, I'd want to go that way...surrounded by loved ones celebrating...instead of wasting away alone in a nursing home.
Bobbie was dearly loved by us all. We will miss her terribly.
We had no idea Bobbie, my mother's older sister, was in bad health until last Monday. Bobbie's our favorite aunt, she was always joking or laughing and a big traveller...a very happy woman. Mom called Bobbie when she received a 50th Wedding Anniversary card with a check in it from her. Their 50th isn't for another four years. But when Bobbie answered the phone she was slurring and dropped the phone. Mom thought she was busy with her grandchildren and said she'd call her back. Bobbie was with her youngest daughter and her children fixing sandwiches then. Wednesday we got a call that Bobbie had suffered a stroke, quite possibly while she was on the phone with Mom, but fought off everyone until Wednesday. By then it was too late to do anything for the damage done; she had some slight paralysis of her left side. They kept her overnight for observation and released her the next day after putting her on blood thinner.
I told Mom I had recently seen an episode of Paramedics on the Discovery Channel (I think) where a very similar incident happened to a man the same age. He was expected to recover when he suddenly died of a massive stroke later that night while in the hospital. I said to Mom that I worried something similar could happen to Bobbie.
Mom was able to speak with Bobbie the day she was released from the hospital. Said Bobbie acted like nothing was wrong, but she couldn't remember some things, especially dates. The call lasted a while and Mom told Bobbie she loved her before the call ended. Mom was unsettled and worried for her sister after hanging up.
We were visiting my youngest sister's family Christmas morning to see what Santa brought for her kids when we got a call that Bobbie had died. She was at Darryl's house (her son) celebrating with the kids and late that night she was going upstairs to go to bed. (They sometimes stay up to 3am.) Darryl saw it happen. She had apparently had a massive stroke while on the stairs and fell backwards with no effort in catching herself. Her head struck the floor and the paramedics could not resusitate her...she was pronounced when they arrived at the hospital.
We're feeling horrible for poor Darryl. How awful to witness the death of anyone, muchless your parent. But we were all talking about how wonderful it was that Bobbie got to speak to her siblings right up to the day before she died. She was happy and celebrating the last Christmas with her beloved children and grandchildren. She was our favorite aunt on my Mom's side of the family and her death will probably become synoymous with Christmas. I think if I were to go, I'd want to go that way...surrounded by loved ones celebrating...instead of wasting away alone in a nursing home.
Bobbie was dearly loved by us all. We will miss her terribly.