Dear So and So

[emily_in_nc]

I'm not sure of the details, Emily, but you and your family have my sympathy.

Thanks Indy. It's my uncle, my father's brother. He's been in the ICU for two weeks with multiple organ failure, and his immediate family decided yesterday to withdraw life support. He's still alive, but unconscious and receiving only a morphine drip. They don't expect him to live another week. I was holding out hope for a slow recovery for him until just recently, so this is very sad news.

It's been heart-wrenching for his family and even though I hadn't seen him much in recent years, very sad for me as well. He was a good man, and having lost my own dad, I so feel for his son, my cousin; and of course my uncle's wife and siblings (my other uncle and aunt) as well. It has really helped me to be able to keep in touch with them all via Facebook since I am so far away and telephoning is difficult.

It's so awful when things like this happen at the holidays.