Great Granny Schur Turns 90, the world turns
Mom made the most beautiful paper booklet with not only photos of the kids, but memorabilia like drawings, paintings and even 3 dimensional items like miniature dresses.
She also included a few of her most recent watercolors, miniatures from Tuscany as well as a still life.
Given that Dorothy has not seen any of the family since we were there five years ago (I am assuming that none of my emails since I was last there in 2002 got to her via my sister), the booklet is a wonderful way of bringing her up to date.
It will likely be the last thing she sees about us as she can not possibly hang on much longer. My cousin Milton, a doctor the ex-head of the Royal College of Surgeons in the UK described her as cerebrate when he visited her last year.
I have not manged to find an understandable definition of this condition. But her mind if stimulated does come alive. So while she is body dead her brain still works when stimulated. She recognized him only when he used a childhood affectionate to her, "unnerdere" for Aunt Dorothy.
As much as anything could bring joy to her miserable existence, Mom's booklet will.
Which brings me to another point.
AS you know, my original purpose, based on my sister's urgent call when I was in Toronto for Xmas in 2001, was to travel to South Africa and withdraw the artificial life support my mother was getting as she wanted to die after her first stroke.
Whether my sister was wrong to start with or my mother changed her mind we will never know. But my mom told me not to do it. I made my peace with her and said my goodbyes, never to return as I explained to her. Yet here she is, over three years later still hanging on to life. Goodness knows why.
The phone number at the home is 011-27-21-461-1100. Ask them to transfer the call to her room. Or you can ask for someone to go to her room and call back 461-5356, her direct line.
I want this note to serve notice that you must not allow the medical profession do this to me. Even if I change my mind later on, ignore it. This statement is effective until I am gone. Do not allow life support to continue if it becomes a dependency for my existence.
And life support means anything that I can not do for myself. Eating for instance.
This note unequivocally overrides doctors politicians or whoever tries to interfere. I do not want life support in any way to sustain my existence.
This is also permission to actively terminate my life in the case of incurable disease that causes pain and suffering. I would like to smoke a little dope with you, legal for the pain you know, and to say my goodbyes; but then you need to get the Kevorkian pill or whatever it takes.
I love you all too much to become the kind of burden I have seen happen to others.
She also included a few of her most recent watercolors, miniatures from Tuscany as well as a still life.
Given that Dorothy has not seen any of the family since we were there five years ago (I am assuming that none of my emails since I was last there in 2002 got to her via my sister), the booklet is a wonderful way of bringing her up to date.
It will likely be the last thing she sees about us as she can not possibly hang on much longer. My cousin Milton, a doctor the ex-head of the Royal College of Surgeons in the UK described her as cerebrate when he visited her last year.
I have not manged to find an understandable definition of this condition. But her mind if stimulated does come alive. So while she is body dead her brain still works when stimulated. She recognized him only when he used a childhood affectionate to her, "unnerdere" for Aunt Dorothy.
As much as anything could bring joy to her miserable existence, Mom's booklet will.
Which brings me to another point.
AS you know, my original purpose, based on my sister's urgent call when I was in Toronto for Xmas in 2001, was to travel to South Africa and withdraw the artificial life support my mother was getting as she wanted to die after her first stroke.
Whether my sister was wrong to start with or my mother changed her mind we will never know. But my mom told me not to do it. I made my peace with her and said my goodbyes, never to return as I explained to her. Yet here she is, over three years later still hanging on to life. Goodness knows why.
The phone number at the home is 011-27-21-461-1100. Ask them to transfer the call to her room. Or you can ask for someone to go to her room and call back 461-5356, her direct line.
I want this note to serve notice that you must not allow the medical profession do this to me. Even if I change my mind later on, ignore it. This statement is effective until I am gone. Do not allow life support to continue if it becomes a dependency for my existence.
And life support means anything that I can not do for myself. Eating for instance.
This note unequivocally overrides doctors politicians or whoever tries to interfere. I do not want life support in any way to sustain my existence.
This is also permission to actively terminate my life in the case of incurable disease that causes pain and suffering. I would like to smoke a little dope with you, legal for the pain you know, and to say my goodbyes; but then you need to get the Kevorkian pill or whatever it takes.
I love you all too much to become the kind of burden I have seen happen to others.
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