July was not the best month :-(

On Saturday July 9th, my sister Lori called me and told me that my sister Andrea was NOT doing well, and I should drive down to see her. The next day I did. When I got there, she could hardly breath! It was so painful to watch. On Monday morning we called for an ambulance to come get her because we knew she needed to be on hospice, and she was running out of oxygen fast. She stayed at the hospital until we got all of the equipment in the house. So an ambulance brought her back home that evening. On Tuesday the hospice nurse added some medications to help her! We were so happy about that. She also mentioned that we should try to get anyone to see her now, so that she doesn't hold out to see them, because she was really suffering. So we made some phone calls, and the house became a bit of a rotating door. The medicines helped her get through all of that, but that evening, we saw how much it took a toll on her. But I know she was so happy to see grandchildren, parents, siblings and a very old friend of hers. Wednesday, the hospice doctor came and said she could take much better medicine, so she could be comfortable. The doctor was absolutely fantastic! So we doubled her morphine which made her so much more comfortable. My favorite story happened late Wednesday afternoon. Blake had made a smart remark, like always, and Andrea grabbed a straw that was next to her, ripped on the top of the wrapper, pulled the oxygen mask off her face and tried to blow the wrapper at Blake! Of course, she couldn't, so she threw the whole straw at Blake instead! I'll tell you, watching the two of them, was such an inspiration of what real LOVE is!

In the early hours of Thursday, July 14th, Andrea pulled off the oxygen. Desi and Blake tried to get it back on her, but she forcefully pushed it aside. She said she wanted to go home. And so Desi, Blake and her 3 silly sisters (Kerry, Myself, and Lori), stood by her side and watched her return to her real home. It was sooooo bitter sweet! There was such relief to see her at peace and not struggling to take every breath. But so painful to know she would no longer be with us in person. I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life.