Our revised STN itinerary included a full week in Massachusetts to deal with a number of family issues. The main “attraction” was Jett’s brother, George, who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer less than 6 months ago and appeared to be close to death when we left Florida. He has undergone chemo and radiation therapy and he has pulled back from the brink, but no one is suggesting that he can be cured. It is, as they say, just a matter of time. His expected longevity is now measured in months rather than years.
There is also the issue of his “quality of life”. He has lost nearly half his weight and has experienced periods when he is disoriented. Fortunately, when we visited him on April 22 he was very lucid and in good spirits. We had a great visit. Jett visited him again, on her own, on April 24 and we both saw him a third time on April 27. He continued to be (relatively) healthy and happy during those visits. The best news is that he has very little pain or discomfort. We are cautiously optimistic that he will have a good summer.
But besides his illness, Jett’s family has experienced, in the 15 months, the deaths of two of her brothers-in-law: Christine’s husband John, in February 2015, and, just a few weeks ago, Sybil’s husband Jess. When we got together at her brother Ray’s place on April 24 for a family dinner, Ray said “it feels like the wheels are falling off this family.” No truer words were ever spoken because sister Sybil, who arrived complaining of numbness in her right hand – which she passed off as sleeping badly – ended the evening in the ER, diagnosed with a stroke. She was, we feel, lucky in that the stroke did not do major damage and she has since recovered full use of her hand. But, after surgery to repair a 90% blockage in her carotid artery, she remains in a rehab hospital, mostly to deal with confusion caused by medication and to strengthen her hand.
It has been a tough time for Jett and her siblings. We are keeping in close contact with both George and Sybil and Jett is ready to make the 3 or 4 hour trek to Boston at a moment’s notice if her assistance is required. That’s what you do when the wheels are falling off your family.