unexpected journeys

Yesterday I saw three patients who were battling to live life the best they could. One man had Parkinson's, a woman had Alzheimers, and another man was plagued with both Parkinson's and Alzheimers. It was so sad to see what had become of them. I personally had never met them before, but could only imagine what it must have been like for them and their loved ones to see them gradually decline. It reminded me of how unpredictable life really is. None of us know how our life will turn out. Some of us may die young and unexpected, others of us may life a long healthy life and pass away quietly in our sleep, yet still others may come to the end of our lives having gradually declined and deteriorated due to an awful illness/disease. I think of my grandma who lived a good 80+ years of her life very happy, alert, and healthy - who is now having to just sit and wait as her mind and body get worse and worse by the day. It has been painful for us to sit and watch her decline - remembering how happy she was for so long. It has been hard for me to see, as her granddaughter, yet I can't imagine what that would be like to watch as a spouse. One of my patients had to have his wife bring him in and fill out all of his paperwork because his Parkinson's had gotten so bad that he couldn't write and even had trouble walking. I was just amazed by the love she must have for him and how hard it must be for her to watch his condition worsen. I hope someday that if I ever have to experience any of this first hand that I can have the kind of love for my husband that this woman had. Even with all the tolls this disease has to have taken on both of them, her love was still so evident in everything she did for him and how she looked at him.