We are now approaching the very end of the road.
Mike has decided to forgo further dialysis and has cancelled any remaining radiation treatments.
Hospice has been invited in.
With another close and cherished friend, and a young family member, I have been sharing transport duties getting Mike to his various medical appointments. Oncologist, pain management doc, radiologist, ophthalmologist, dialysis, and internist appointments have all been kept.
None of that helps anymore.
And yesterday, Mike accepted the inevitable with a large measure of grace and an ensuing peace.
He had become so very weak that just getting down the steps from his house to the walkway had become an overwhelming challenge. From walkway to car required greater and greater effort. And just getting into the car was nearly impossible.
His back causes him so much pain that he can no longer sit in his easy chair in comfort. He is not able to lie down in comfort and his eyesight has deteriorated so badly that he is unable to even watch TV. And taking enough painkillers to provide relief zonks him so completely that he is not able to participate in any aspect of interactivity.
So, yesterday afternoon, Mike made the decision to retain some measure of dignity and grace.
Today at 3 PM, he goes for his final visit to his pain doc where he is scheduled to receive some sort of injection that should provide a measure of relief for his painful back. After he returns home, hospice will take over managing his condition.
Michael has been my pal for 25 years. We have fished together, drank good whiskey and some great martinis together, enjoyed Cuban cigars together, and shared more holiday meals than I can begin to recall. His late wife, Nancy and Bunny were great pals, too. We watched their kids grow up and become mostly well adjusted adults. I officiated at the marriage of daughter number three, and at the wedding of one of the step-grand-daughters.
And all I can ask for now is that the pain docs and hospice can somehow manage to reduce Mike's pain to a tolerable level, and that God sees fit to give him an easier exit from these mortal coils than he has experienced thus far.
I thank each one of you who has raised us up in prayer. We're right at the end, now. Another prayer or two should see us through.
Crusader Rabbit