Complications

A patient from the Oasis died today. She was doing well 9 days ago. Then she became juandiced overnight and was admitted to an area hospital for a fairly routine procedure to correct the problem. Something went horribly wrong, a downward spiral of consequences that coalesced and ultimately took her life. It was unexpected, rapid and hit very close to home for the patients and support people who spent 5 days a week with her for the past couple of months. Not only did she die, but she died quickly with no chance to go back to her home and her family to spend even a day in emotional or spiritual preparation for her transition surrounded by family and friends. She was a professor and scheduled to go to France on a Fulbright. Instead she died not from the same cancer that killed her dad, but from complications of her treatment. It is a sobering reminder that none of us knows when we will be called home. Not me, not you. Life is complex and fragile,complications are around every corner, some of them bring opportunities for growth, some of them just kill you without warning or apology.
The day after tomorrow we will be getting on a plane and flying off to Portland, Oregon for a retreat. I am looking forward to it and also, a little daunted by trying to prepare our food at a place where we have no car and have to arrange for a ride to a store to purchase things, trying not to forget anything. I guess we will just keep it very, very simple. Hopefully there will be no complications.
Good bye Louise, thank you for sharing the last days of your life with us.