Posted by:
beyondashadow
(
)
Date: December 24, 2014 01:33AM
Our TBM parents had 7 bic babies: 6 sons & 1 daughter. 5 sons served missions. Eventually 4 of us kids went exmo (many years ago), while three remained TBM.
My exmo sister and I (in Oregon) talked to our brother (southern Utah) on the phone at noon today (Tuesday), and he seemed to be recovering at home after discharge from the hospital yesterday, including 3 days in ICU for a systemic staph infection (after 12 days of nasty flu) and severe aortic heart valve stenosis. After the phone call, we breathed a sigh of relief that he seemed stabilized after the first night at home, with a much-overdue heart valve replacement upcoming in about a month to give the infection time to clear before heart surgery.
About an hour after we talked with him on the phone at noon and he seemed OK, he was sitting on the couch. He asked for a pain med because his chest was hurting badly. Within a few minutes he lost consciousness and his heart stopped. One of his sons in the room with him is an EMT and did CPR on him until the ambulance arrived with a defib, but he could not be revived.
Our dear brother died today ... about an hour after he seemed OK talking on the phone.
My sister (who reads and enjoys RfM regularly) is simply shattered with the loss, and I'm crying as I type this post. He was too young (age 60). A truly decent human being with siblings, children and grandkids who loved him dearly and will sorely miss his calm and loving presence.
Today I've already heard some cliche' responses from TBMs in my family. I am posting this very personal news today because I know that some of you will respond with true compassion and authenticity ... usually found only in human beings who are allowed to be who they really are, and to feel however they naturally feel. Most of you know what I mean.
Thank you in advance for being there and for reading this, and for feeling what you are feeling right now. It's a comfort to know you are out there.
Thank you so much.
beyondashadow
========
My sister just requested that I add this to the OP:
"You can tell the exmo board we called as his 'home teachers' as usual and laughed about blessing oil etc and I told him I loved him right before he left."
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2014 03:31AM by beyondashadow.