He Didn’t Die

Old Jewish Cemetery, Vienna

They took him off of life support two days ago and my sister burst into tears. They didn’t take him off so that he could die a natural death but because his body had regained enough strength to breathe on its own again. Granted he still wore a mask that pumped additional oxygen into his body but we no longer wondered if his body would quit on him.

His parents celebrated and I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that my sister wasn’t going to become a widow and my five year-old nephew still had a father. There is still a long road ahead of him and recovery will take some time but recovery is better than death.

And it wasn’t until Sunday evening that I realized how tense I was. I had gone into big brother/Uncle/Father mode and had spent my energies doing things that would help my sister and nephew. If you want to have fun have a five-year-old boy cry on your shoulder because he hasn’t seen daddy in a week and is worried that he is going to die.

Five year-olds aren’t known for rational thought and the last time he had seen daddy was in the E.R. Mind you that my sister and BIL had no idea that things would go the way that they did. I picked up my nephew from the E.R. and told him that I was sure that daddy would be ok.

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It reminded me a little bit of when my son asked me not to die. That post helped me become a blogger. It wasn’t the only thing that did it but it had a big influence on me. Some people might find it morbid but I have spent a lot of time talking about death on my blogs. I shared when my parents purchased cemetery plots and wrote about the deaths of my grandparents and friend.

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I like to use videos in my posts but I get a little frustrated when the videos are removed. I wrote a post called Call Me Springsteen in which I embedded three different songs and just discovered that every video has been removed. It reminds me that I want to clean this place up. I think that blog is in need of some renovation. I want to fix things so that the layout in my series works and looks better. This isn’t bad but it is not great either.

If you want to make people laugh blog about flatulence in elevators– it is good for a chuckle.

There is far more to be said, my story certainly isn’t done but it is 2 am and sleep beckons. If you are among the new readers I do hope that you will become a part of the community. Read, enjoy and comment. And now for a message from our sponsors. This was part of the Just Write project. I strongly urge you to consider participating. It is great fun and a good way to meet other writers.

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17 Comments

  1. Andrea October 11, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    Oh! WOw. That is such fantastic news. Just saw this on Twitter and was like, wait, what? Yay! I am so happy to hear good news. Huge hugs!

  2. Bruce Sallan ( October 11, 2011 at 8:44 pm

    That is the best news I’ve heard in a while…

  3. Debbie/Africa October 11, 2011 at 9:16 am

    So glad he is on his path to recovery!!! Prayers and thoughts go out to you all!!

    linked up via EO and Just Write!!

  4. Leon Noone October 11, 2011 at 8:16 am

    G’Day Jack,
    For what it’s worth, just let your sister and brother-in-law know that there’s a curmudgeon from Down Unda rootin’ for ’em…… and saying a little prayer too if they don’t mind that sort of thing.

    And try to find some fun for them too.

    Regards
    Leon

    • Jack October 11, 2011 at 8:48 am

      Hi Leon,

      I will pass that along and I am sure that they will be quite pleased. More importantly I appreciate it and that is all I have to say right now. 🙂

  5. CJ October 11, 2011 at 7:12 am

    What a terrifying experience! I’m glad he is on the path to recovery!

  6. Sarah October 11, 2011 at 5:47 am

    I find nothing wrong with talking about death because it is such a part of life. In fact, I really think that keeping my own mortality (and that of those I love) on the forefront of my mind has me cherishing life so much more than if I didn’t.

    • Jack October 11, 2011 at 8:51 am

      It is important to talk about death and to think about how you want to handle certain things, especially if you are a parent.

      There are a lot of really important conversations tied into it and it does help you appreciate life that much more.

  7. Shonali Burke October 11, 2011 at 4:43 am

    I am so glad for you and your family, Jack. Thank you for sharing that with us.

  8. Betsy Cross October 11, 2011 at 1:30 am

    Jack,
    I’ve been called the Queen of Morbidity! LOL! So happy that you BIL is going to make it.
    Betsy

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