I am so grateful that Patrick is doing well, but now I would like your warm wishes and prayers for another person, a man who was in the same room with Patrick. Id noticed him while we hurried past twice to see Patrick, but didnt know about him, until after he was gone (to another room) and Pat told us. His name is Robert Eckart, and he is dying. By the time Patrick told me, Mr. Eckart was off to a different room. His doctors wanted to do a heart bypass on him, and he refused, saying hed lived his life long enough, that he had already determined that once his wife died, he was going to die, too, just let go, didnt want to live any more, and when they asked if they could notify anyone, he told them no, that he only has one son, who has been in and out of prison, that he doesnt have contact with that son. The only person he was willing to see is a Catholic priest. I felt so saddened when I heard the story, because hes not all that old at all! Maybe 70, if that??? I wanted to tell him that there are still beautiful birds and animals, that this planet is still beautiful, and would have befriended him had I the opportunity. As it was, I just sent a card via a nurse (Christian, one that asked for strength for him in the here and now and told him we were keeping him in our thoughts and hearts, and I also got a book at the hospital BX, something about Moment by Moment (faith) and I left those with his nurse who said she would give them to him at the right moment. They are having trouble finding the right moment for him. He is very depressed. Its sad that he wants to die when hes still relatively young, physically apparently reasonably pain-free, that a simple bypass surgery would save him. Normally, Il all for letting people choose if they want to die when its their time to go (and I tried to respect that in the gift and card I chose for him, nothing I gave him looked further than this moment), but its heartbreaking when hes so young, gets around well (I saw him walking and he did better than Im doing right now with the arthritis in my knee!), but most of all, I am full of sorrow that he feels he is alone. I wish I could help him. I think hes willing to die not because of physical pain but rather, depression. I dont know for sure, though. I feel sad that in my joy to see Patrick, I totally overlooked him when I had the chance to talk to him! Normally, I always say hello to whoever is in the room with Patrick (or have over these many hospitalizations the past couple of years with Patrick). Why not today, of all days? Id adopt him if hed let us, though if hes that depressed, I doubt hed let us. He requested a room of his own to die alone in, and a priest to talk to. Im so glad he at least reached out for a priest. No one should die all alone like this. Please think good thoughts for him and send prayers his way. I wish his son would go visit him! But his son doesnt know, I guess. Awful. I wouldnt want to live, either, I guess, if I was that alone. For me, theres always my parrots, if I didnt have people -- Id be happy if Boo was with me (my favorite parrot
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 04:04:23 +0000
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