HER BROTHER

Eighty year old "Ben" suffered from end stage lung disease. Ben and his wife, "Milly" have been married for fifty-four years. They have two sons who reside locally and a daughter who lives about six hours away. Ben and Milly raised their children with love and lots of humor.

Ben was only on hospice for a few weeks when he took a sudden turn for the worse. He died three days later. I went out hours before he died and found him unconscious. Ben's breathing was very shallow and it appeared that his death was imminent.

The family said that Ben's sister, "Paula", was driving up and would be there later that day around dinner time. They had told Ben about his sister's visit and believed that he was holding on until she arrived.

Ben's only sibling, Paula, was twelve years old when he was born. She clearly remembers the day her little brother was born. She was out in the waiting room and couldn't wait to see him. The two of them have remained close their entire lives. Paula now lives about 500 miles away, but had been calling several times each week to check in on her brother.

The moment Paula heard that Ben's death was near, she and her husband got into their RV to drive the six hour trip to her brother's home. It was ironic that Paula was there when Ben was born and likewise there when he peacefully died.

Patients hold on for specific reasons. I have experienced patients waiting until an anniversary date, a certain telephone call, some unfinished business to be completed or, like the story above, until a special person visits. It happens too often to be a coincidence. I believe patients have control over when they let go. This story is a perfect example of such a phenomenon.


HER BROTHER


She sat patiently in the hospital room
waiting for him to come.
She wanted to meet her new brother.
To welcome him into her world.

She'll always remember that special day
even though eight decades have passed.
She and her brother have always been close.
It never mattered that she lived hours away.

It broke her heart to hear of his illness
for he had always been strong.
When they were small, she took care of him.
Now there was nothing she could do.

She called weekly to keep in touch.
She needed to hear his voice.
When they told her his time was close,
she knew she had to come.

He was unconscious and barely breathing.
The family had gathered around.
He knew the moment she walked in
as ninety minutes later he was gone.

He had been lying calmly
waiting for her to come.
He wanted one final goodbye
before moving onto his next world.