Sad Week

Two nights ago I found out from a friend in Canada, who used to live here, that his younger brother of 44 years is terminally ill. He had a thrombosis in an artery supplying blood to his intestines and, despite losing weight and being in pain over a period of several months, never went to the doctor about it. Finally, when he did go to the doctor, and they ultimately cut him open, his intestines were necrotic and had to be removed. Plus his blood vessels in that region were destroyed.

This is a very rare condition for a person of his age, a textbook case. To survive, he would not be able to eat--he would have to be fed intravenously for the rest of his life (and he's a gourmet cook). He has two ostomy bags. Furthermore, the chances of his survival with an intestine implant are very slim. So, in accordance with his own wishes, he probably won't be around much longer.