In memorium: Thoughts on D's passing
After I was officially diagnosed with NMO in 2003, I went online in search of any information I could find about Devic's. As it was such a rare disease, the search results were minimal. But I did find an online support group. This was where I met R whose son, D, had NMO. Throughout the years, during my most difficult attacks, R had been a constant support via emails and phone conversations. She gave me hope when life looked dim, lending her positivity to not only myself but others in our NMO family. She did this all the while with her own son's health deteriorating to the point where he had become quadriplegic and blind.
It is with great sorrow that I received the news from R that D passed away Wednesday evening at 6:45 PST. And while I can only share a fraction of the family's grief, I also share in their relief in knowing that D is no longer suffering and has gone Home. At the end of his days, D was not only having trouble swallowing, talking, and breathing, he also experienced mental loss and dementia. He was unhappy and fearful, as any of us in his position would be. In the words of his mother, he had endured too much for too long. And so it is with his passing that his family may move on to a new chapter in life.
This doesn't mean there will be an absence of grief. I was feeling blue after I'd heard the news on Wednesday. John, in trying to cheer the both of us up, played this TED Talk by Neil Pasricha on the 3 A's of "awesome." It was humorous, touching, and inspiring. TED Talks are sponsored by a non-profit organization (TED) dedicated to "ideas worth spreading." I invite you to watch the TED Talk and find out how to live more awesomely. And who can't use just a little more awesomeness in life?