Pages

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Claire

I'm ending this day on a very sad note. I'm not even sure I can properly write about it. This evening a very good friend passed on to a new life.


I met Claire online 5 years ago on a COPD forum. She and I were both trying to get accepted into some new clinical trials for an experimental procedure that offered a better quality of life for people with our shared disease. Claire wasn't able to qualify as she was already getting too weak and deconditioned to take part in the necessary rehabilitation that was required. I was accepted but due to the luck of the draw (or lack of luck, depending on how you view it) I ended up in the control group, which means I didn't get the procedure but was monitored for a year for comparison to those who did get it.


Claire and I always hoped that we might find a way to meet in person but that never happened. She lived in Florida. I'm in Kansas. But we became fast friends and talked by email and phone pretty constantly for the last five years. Some days neither of us had anything to say. Other days we'd exchange a dozen emails. We found we had so much more in common than just our disease and so we mostly talked about other things. We reminisced about earlier days, raising our families, music we loved, politics, so many things. She was only 67..far too young to leave this world.


Last week Claire started really struggling to breathe and was taken by ambulance to the hospital and admitted to ICU. Sunday she went on a ventilator and this afternoon her family made the difficult decision to remove life support. I know, as they most certainly did, that Claire didn't want to linger. And I know that tonight she is breathing freer than she has in many years. But I will miss her more than I can say. I'm a better person for having known her and will hear her voice for a long, long time.

Breathe easy my friend. I love you.



11 comments:

Donna said...

Sincere condolences on the loss of your friend, Mary.

Barb said...

I know this is very hard for you and I am very sad for your loss. It was hard not to cry when reading about your friend.

Lindah said...

Mary, I'm so very sorry.
How special to have had this dear friend in your life for even a short while.

Dayna said...

I know how difficult this disease can be on you and those around you. My late husband died from the effects of the same. I pray you have more quality time and know your friend is watching over you.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

sorry for you loosing your friend Mary, it is hard I know to loose a friend I have lost several over the last 10 years.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/

Sunna Reyr said...

What a special and loving friendship.
I'm so sorry for your loss.

Linda said...

Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. My sympathy's.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry about your friend, Mary. I know how hard it is.

Cindy

Geta Grama said...

I am sorry for your loss, Mary. Sincere condolences.

Jacquie said...

I am so sorry to read of your loss of such an obviously dear friend. What a blessing to have her part of your life even for a few years.

Crispy said...

Oh Mary, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. My heart aches for you and I will keep you in my thoughts.

Crispy