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Ramgator
I'm sure it was tougher heading home, knowing what looms.
It was hard but we are all trying to prepare the best we can. We know what's coming.
I have 2 brothers and 1 sister. I'm #2 in birth order. My younger brother with the brain tumor lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with his wife of 47 years and we decided to have the reunion there so they wouldn't have to travel. My brother has an adult daughter who lives in Memphis, TN and an adult son who lives in Austin, TX. My brother is no longer allowed to drive because he's not always lucid now and his thoughts and speech aren't always clear. He had 2 separate car accidents a few months ago and his doctor said... that's it... you're no longer allowed to drive. We can all see and hear the affects of the brain tumor and it's heart-breaking. Wendell has always had the memory of an elephant and he's is a really smart person. He struggles now to put sentences together and when he does, they don't always make sense. He's lost weight and is looking gaunt. His eyes have lost their luster. I don't know how else to express what I see in his face except to say it that way. He is letting his hair get really long, a bushy Afro... and I think it's because it's the one thing on his head that he can control. He can't do a thing about the tumor... but he can decide how long and in what style to grow his hair. Just a theory.
My older brother, my sister and her husband , and I sat around talking for a long time after breakfast on Saturday. My younger brother was at his house in Edmond. As we talked I said to them, "I want to address the elephant in the room. No one has said it, but I think this might be a goodbye visit". My sister (retired nurse) lost it. And then I lost it because SHE lost it. We are all in our 70's now and folks are going to start checking out because time waits for no one. We lost my older brother's wife to ovarian cancer 2 years ago right after the pandemic hit. We had planned to have a reunion that summer but were forced to cancel it. So our reunion is already affected by loss.... and not all family members could attend this year for various reasons. Starting with my parents and their kids... and their kids... and their kids... there are about 50 of us. I never got the head count but I think we had about 35 turn out (including all the kids). Even so, we had a great time and I'm glad I went.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2022 08:31AM by MamaRAMa.
