ALL ALONE

Fifty-eight year old "Sylvia" suffers from liver cancer. She lives alone and has always been able to manage. Last week, she became so weak, she ended up in the hospital. It was then she knew she could not return home as she could no longer care for herself.

She chose to go to a Board and Care home where she would get the help she needed. Sylvia has stopped eating and likely will die soon. She stated that she has no friends. Her only family is a niece, "Rita", who lives on the East Coast. Sylvia was so weak and spoke so slowly, it was difficult to carry on a conversation with her. She would become confused, likely from the pain medication, and then correct herself.

Sylvia gave me her niece's telephone number. I was able to leave Rita a voice message on her phone. Sylvia was a legal secretary and I asked her if there was an attorney I could call for her to help establish her estate and final affairs. She denied knowing any and asked if I would call one for her. Anticipating ahead, I had previously printed out a listing of local estate attorneys. I randomly picked one off that list.

Fate was on my side as the attorney was willing to meet with Sylvia the next day. He said that she had to be of sound mind to make these legal and financial decisions. I could hear in his voice how much he wanted to help. After talking with him, I knew that I had chosen the right attorney for Sylvia.

The next day, I received a phone call from Rita who said that she and her father, Sylvia's half-brother, had flown in from Virginia. Rita said that her relationship with Sylvia had been mostly e-mails. Six months could go by without any communication between the two of them.

Rita and her father met with the attorney at the Board and Care home. Sylvia was able to verbalize her wishes regarding her estate. The family and attorney returned the following day with the needed paperwork for Sylvia's signature.

Rita was also able to find out where Sylvia had made pre-paid funeral arrangements. In addition, they also discovered that Sylvia's home is in a trust which is helpful. Rita's brother, Sylvia's nephew, is an attorney in Maryland. He will be the executor of her estate.

I wrote the following poem the day I met Sylvia which was one day prior to meeting her family. It is a wonderful feeling to have been involved with something that had such a positive outcome for all. Sylvia's affairs will be in order and the family has been able to connect and say goodbye.


ALL ALONE

She has always been a loner.
Never depending upon anyone else.
Her one family member; a niece,
lives half a world away.

She likes the quiet of having no friends;
no family to share her life.
Seclusion, solitude, privacy.
Always preferring to be alone.

But now that she is dying
who will speak when she cannot?
It's never been a problem before
as she has always handled things quite well.

She is so weak, it is hard to talk.
The medicine makes her confused.
She lies in bed with no one around.
The end of an isolated road.

How many people will remember her?
How many lives did she truly touch?
But then does it really matter
as she was able to live her life
the way she wanted,

All alone.