My mother, Frances S. Cohen, passed away this morning at 10:30 AM. In all the ways that we could manage, she died peacefully and without pain. The Hospice nurse, without being 100% positive believed that her kidneys failed sometime early yesterday (or before) and the toxicity in her system is what finally did her in.
I can't begin to describe the pain and the loss that I feel now. The funeral is planned for this Tuesday, although we don't have a final time yet since the rabbi could not be contacted on the Sabbath.
She was 63 years old and we received the first diagnosis of her advanced cancer just 29 days ago. The disease progression through the past 4 weeks has been so fast as to be unbelievable. I do not believe that more than 2 days ever went by without some significant change taking place in her or her ability to do something.
At the moment, I am at an incredible loss for words. I have described the events leading up to the moment of my mother's death (for which I was thankfully not present - there are some things I do not thing I am strong enough to bear) to so many people today that I do not feel up to doing so again here. Suffice it to say that I did what I could for the last 24 hours of her life and I spent all the time with her that it was possible to spend.
I do not know who is reading this, my journal. On the off-chance that you are so inclined, I am asking friends and family to make donations in my mother's memory to her favorite charitable organization. Once the dust has settled from the funeral and trying to settle her estate, I am intending to make a sizeable donation myself.
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The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential 8801 Stenton Ave Philadelphia, PA 19038-8397 (215) 233-2050 www.iahp.org |
I will write more when I am able to, which will most likely not be for quite a few days.
Author: ben@tmk.com