EVERYTHING LISTED UNDER: Hospice

“I have a question for you, Aim,” Mom said from her blue La-Z-Boy. “How did you stay so positive during everything you went through?”This takes me by surprise. “Uh, Prozac?” I joke, and she laughs.She needs to laugh. I know she is scared and depressed, awaiting her next chemo treatment. Twenty years ago, she battled uterine cancer, but stayed cancer-free ever since, a miracle. Three months ago, she was diagnosed with cancer again: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “I’m serious,” Mom said, and my brain begins its search for an answer.

Our fear of death begins when we’re kids. Perhaps we had to face the mystifying idea of impermanence when a beloved pet, parent or grandparent died. The stark reality that this loved one was really gone — and gone forever, was both devastating and terrifying. From early childhood, when we’re introduced to the concept of “futureless-ness” — that is, old age and eventually death, there are few things as difficult for us to deal with. Facing down the fear of dying requires great strength, humility and spiritual fortitude. But, as you will see, it’s worth the effort.

My friend’s distress was acute. For weeks she’d been running herself ragged, attending to her ailing octogenarian father.Daily visits to the hospital had given way to frantic efforts to turn his apartment into a home hospice after he made clear that he wanted to return to his apartment. Now, with a hospital bed and 24/7 nursing care in place, the countdown had begun. There was no “if” about his imminent demise. The only question was: How much longer does he have?

What you and your family can learn from the rock legend's death [Photo credit: TomPetty.com][/caption]By Elizabeth Newcomb for Next AvenueAfter rock legend Tom Petty was found unconscious and in cardiac arrest Oct. 2, he could not be revived, his manager said on Petty’s official website. Petty died peacefully later that day at UCLA Medical Center. Whether his family decided to take him off life support due to a do-not-resuscitate order, as reported by another source, has not been confirmed. But the loss of the 66-year-old musician serves as a reminder that tragic events can happen no matter one’s age or seeming good health.

In the 1960s, Ken Lohrentz taught English in Tanzania for two and a half years. This summer he returned to the continent to see old friends, reconnect with former students, and soak up the breathtaking beauty of the landscape, the culture, and the people of eastern Africa.