Sounds a bit weird, doesn’t it? After all, the poor man just died of brain cancer. But, yes, I am jealous.
I would, of course, rather no one have to lose a family member to cancer, but as hard a time as his family is having right now, luckily they don’t know that it could be much worse.
I have a pretty good idea of what his family is going through right now, having experienced it almost 6 months ago myself, however they will have a much easier time coping and moving on than we did.
Not knowing what condition Senator Kennedy was in during his final days, I do know that 6 days ago he wrote a letter to Massachusettes leaders asking that they expedite the process of replacing his seat in Congress, and not wait the mandatory 5 months after the seat is vacated (AKA after the Senator dies).
Several logical conclusions can be reached from this letter:
1) The Senator was mentally healthy enough less than a week before he died to acknowledge that the State of Mass deserves to have 2 representatives and that the current 5 month process doesn’t make sense
2) He was not expecting to die so soon (though he did not attend his sister’s funeral several days before), meaning he was self-aware (or was expecting to die soon, thus the letter)
3) He was lucid
In the week before my mom died, I saw her blink several times. That was it. She wasn’t even lucid enough to swallow oatmeal.
In the six months since my mother died, the hardest part for me hasn’t been her absence as much as my inability to remember my mom as she was before her illness. There is much you, my readers (as well as closest friends), don’t know about my mother’s condition during the last 8 months of her life, information I will not share, but suffice it to say that even now, 6 months later, when I picture my mother in my mind, I cannot seem to find an image of her in which she is smiling.
And a non-smiling mom is NOT my mom.
During my darker times, in which I cry uncontrollably for days until I randomly stop, when I am asked what it is I need to feel better, my only answer is “to remember my mom as she was.” I am positive, without being or seeing a shrink, that my problem is moving away from the disease.
It’s not even her absence from major events in my life, or the fact that I have been missing her a lot lately. That doesn’t make me cry for extended periods of time (though I haven’t had a major life event yet, other than being with The Boy, so ask me when I get married or have a kid).
I sincerely believe that once I think of my mom and retrieve a memory of her pre-disease – in any situation, even yelling at me to clean my room when I was a teenager – that my healing will have truly begun. Once I can look at a picture of her where she is healthy and laughing and not see a stranger, or need to concentrate to convince myself that it’s really her, then I’ll be fine.
I’m not quite sure how articulate that last thought – I can look at a picture of my mother and just stare at it, and in my head I tell myself, “That’s my mom, that’s how I need to remember her, she was honestly like that for the first 30 years that I knew her,” but then myself will tell my head, “I’m sorry, head, that woman is a stranger. This is what she looks like” – and then a mental picture of my mom after her paralysis began pops into my head. It doesn’t even have to be from the hospital, just from the time that she lost her independence, AKA the third time I lost my mom.
So, yes, I feel so bad for the family of Senator Ted Kennedy. I can, unfortunately, say I know exactly what they’re going through, which is not something I am proud of, but at the same time I admit, I am incredibly jealous.
The image they have of their loved one is one of a lucid man who, in his final days, was still trying to get his affairs in order. I sincerely hope this fact will help them in their time of grief, though I doubt that it is a thought running through their heads at the moment.
August 26, 2009 at 3:54 pm
@HilzFuld tweeted your post – so moving, so touching, so terribly sad. I am so sorry for your loss and i wish you strength as you continue to deal with the absence of your mom in your life.
August 26, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. I’ve been getting a lot of help from cyberspace and, although unexpected, it has been really nice.
August 26, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Motek, I am so sorry you are going through this. It’s so hard to lose someone, and even harder when you lose the memory of that someone when they were fully themselves! I went through that with my grandma, and the vivid memories I had of her were from her last 5 years after she was no longer independent in any way.
I cried reading your post. You really moved me, and I am here for you, if you need!!
August 26, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Thanks, Tali. As it so happens, this is the first time (PROGRESS!) that I’ve written a post without crying (that wasn’t about vacation time). Hugs!
August 26, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I can only wish you more success and feel so sorry for the things you’ve been through… Hope you gain your strength.
September 9, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Wow, you very articulately wrote out so many things that I’ve felt over the years that I lost my mom – and during the struggle she had at the end of her life.
I know exactly how you feel.
I’m actually an intern at a fantastic non-profit that might be worth sharing with any readers of yours in Minnesota – Angel Foundation focuses on the whole family after a cancer diagnosis, and has amazing support programs, kids activities, education, financial support, parenting help, etc for families where an adult has cancer. Something I would definitely have appreciated as an overwhelmed teenager — http://www.mnangel.org
Anyway, thanks for your words – they truly connected for me. Keep up the (inspirational) good work!
September 17, 2009 at 11:24 am
Hi Anna,
Thanks for sharing the link. 🙂 I’m sorry you know how I feel, but at the same time it’s nice to know it’s common.
Talia
September 15, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I know when I think of my mom I have to struggle not to dwell on that last month. And it is a struggle. Eventually, you’ll come find a way to come to terms with it. I know it isn’t easy but I am wishing you find the endurance you need for this time in your life.
September 17, 2009 at 11:25 am
I hope so. In our case it was much more than one month, so I guess that’s why it’s taking a long time. Who knows.
August 17, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Hi! I’ve been following your site for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Austin Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the excellent job!