This is the last picture I have of me and my mom. She is almost 95. A few days ago, her foot was purplish and after several attempts to do a doppler study at the local hospital, she was sent to a larger hospital. The results .... gangrene, the suggestion was amputation above the knee.
Mom also has Alzheimer's disease and reoccurring urinary tract infections. She has lost about 40 pounds in the last few months and has very little appetite and will only drink fluids with great encouragement. She longs to go to heaven and frequently will say, "I don't know why I am still here"
She left very clear instructions in her living will that she did not want any extreme measures to prolong her life. So, as sisters we have decided to abide by her wishes, avoid radical surgery, and let her live out her last days' pain-free in the same nursing home she has lived in for the last 4 years.
She has a private room for family visits and is in a bright warm sunny room with familiar faces who know her and have cared for her. My sister can play her the hymns she has loved and has told her favorite stories of our childhood and reminds her constantly how much she is loved.
The hospice nurse has tented the covers over her feet to keep the weight off her feet which causes her pain. She is pain-free with the medications, happy to be back in a familiar setting, and we would ask that your prayers be directed that God in His mercy might take her home quickly. I am reminded of the southern gospel hymn "I'll fly away.... when I die hallelujah by and by. I'll fly away."
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