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Ode to NancyAug 02 '06 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Guard your health, and please make arrangements in case it fails.
I have been invited to join Bryan Carey's 2000 Write Off! http://www.epinions.com/content_4804485252 Thank you for the invitation! I have had something on my mind, and hopefully I can get the two topics to join, if I skate on enough thin ice! During the year 2000, or Y2K, as a lot of folks called it, we were worried if the world, as we knew it, would continue. Would we have enough food, warmth, electricity, etc.? What if you didn't have enough HEALTH? This happened to a friend/co-worker of ours at work. She was 56 years old and diagnosed with uterine cancer almost 5 years earlier. She was overweight, and had never had children. Those are two of the largest risk factors for this condition. She was also diabetic. She had her cancer operation, and had done her chemo and radiation. It took her a while, but she got better. Work was Nancy's world. She didn't get along with her mom, so she frequently hung out at work after hours. Not that she was solemn. She was pretty happy go lucky. She always had a smile on her face. She was always an optimist. She was a can-do type of person. No matter that she didn't have time to do it, she always told you she could. Last Spring, Nancy started coming to work limping. She was using a walker. It was hard for her to get around. She said she was having trouble with her sciatic nerve. This was nothing new, since she had broken her ankle/leg a couple of years before when she tumbled down her front yard mowing her lawn. This time it was different. She said her bosses wanted her to retire. She was not about to retire! Work was her world! Her coworkers were her family! Where would she be without her work? Sigh... We found out that Nancy had a tumor on her spine. She had been sent to a rest home for treatment and to recover. We were told her condition was improving. Remember, she had no family. Co-workers aren't necessarily allowed information on folk who aren't kin. She made at least 3 trips to the hospital at various times. She was bright and cheerful. She was upbeat and cheery when we saw her in June. We saw her in the hospital two weeks ago. She said she had an infection in her port. Someone else said that was cancer. Who do we believe? We are not family. Last Sunday, hubby got word from his co-workers that Nancy had 24-48 hours to live. Did I want to visit her? We went there about 6:30 PM. We visited with the nurses who said she probably wouldn't make it until morning. Her breathing sounded like she was snoring,(death rattle?) with her mouth open, laying on her back, unresponsive. She passed an hour later. There was no one at her side at the moment, although she wouldn't have known it if they were. She had had visitors throughout the day. Since her passing, we, her co-workers, her family, have been trying to pick up the pieces, and figure out what to do. She never talked about dying. She was too positive! Does she want to be buried or cremated? Who are her next of kin? Cousins? Her mom and dad passed before she did. Maybe the obits would reveal contact information. Who does her retirement money go to? How about the modest house she owned? Her newer car? Who gets these? Surely she must have "treasures" at home that someone should be getting. I guess the point of my story is: If you are single, please write a will. Where do you want to be buried? Would you rather be cremated and have your ashes spread over the Grand Canyon? Near a loved one? How long should you "be plugged in?" Do you have any favorite flowers or hymns? Would you describe yourself as a Mormon, Jew or Atheist? Perhaps none of the above. Please make your transitioning as easy on others as you can. Thank you, and God Bless Nancy  |
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