As my husband and I raised our family, we were lucky to meet a couple who would become very dear friends. Eileen and I would even trade baby sitting favors as our children were not that far apart in age.
As our families grew and evolved, we enjoyed many barbeques together, we belonged to a lot of the same church and neighborhood groups. We became family. Unfortunately, as our children got older and life evolved a bit more, we didn't seem to spend as much time together. We would still visit, share pictures of grand children, etc. But we had grown apart a bit over the years.
In January of this year a received a belated Christmas card from them, sharing new photos of their darling three grand sons. The card contained a letter explaining why the Christmas card was delayed. Eileen had been in the hospital off and on and Jay was trying to make the best holiday season for her as he could. The letter went on saying that Eileen had been diagnosed with kidney cancer. She was under going Chemotherapy treatments and the out look was good.
After receiving the card and the letter, I called and expressed concern and care. We had made plans to go to dinner the following week. The evening came, my husband and I were getting ready to head out to meet Eileen and Jay at the restaurant when the phone rang. Jay said Eileen wasn't having a good day and they needed to cancel. We let him know we under stood and he could call us and we would reschedule.
We never did reschedule the dinner. Eileen's health was precarious at best. I stopped at their home a few times, but each time she was sleeping or not well enough for visitors. Jay explained that she was embarrassed by her appearance after several rounds of Chemotherapy. I asked him to let her know that physical appearances meant nothing to me. He said he would.
Two weeks later I was in my front yard with my grand son sweeping all the old salt off the side walk from the wonderful Nebraska ice storms. I heard a car horn toot and turned around. It was Eileen!
She had pulled up to the walk in her mini van and was ginning from ear to ear. I went over to the open window and greeted her. I asked how she was feeling. She told me she was much better, the treatments were working and she was going shopping. She was all alone in her vehicle and looked wonderful! She looked just as she had three or four years ago. I remarked how well she looked.
As we bid each other good by, she told me she would call me in a couple weeks and we could finally get together for dinner. I told her I was looking forward to it.
Eileen passed away this last Monday. Her family indicated she had been in the hospital for three weeks, she was tired of fighting.
I have had visits from friends and family saying their good byes after they had passed.
How can this be explained? Apparently on the day Eileen visited me and greeted my grand son and my self in her van, she was hospitalized in a medically induce coma.
I am having a hard time with this one...
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