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My brother called me yesterday and the news was not good, although it was what I had been expecting. His cancer has spread to his other lung. The doctor has stopped his chemo and is having hospice get in touch with him. She told him that he probably had about six months.
He plans to stay where he is for the time being, although he has been in contact with his eldest son, who lives on a ranch northwest of Tulsa. If his condition deteriorates beyond being able to live alone, he will move in with him.Â
He already has his services pre-arranged right down to his clothes, his casket spray, and his marker with the same funeral home which handled my other brother's services. He had the director come to his home a few months ago, selected everything and assigned his insurance over to them to pay for it.
Since he first discovered he had lung cancer 21/2 years ago, his attitude has always been positive. He has always stated that he has "lived a good life" and he is ready to go. I don't know that I could concur with his having "lived a good life"; but he has led the life he wanted to lead, I guess. Â
At any rate, in the last fifteen or twenty years, he has lived a much calmer life, drinking only a few beers occasionally. The twenty-year period before that he nearly drove all of us crazy.Â
He and my other brother were always close, and he took care of Larry when he was dying, staying with him right to the very end. For that I will always be grateful to him.Â
Though he and I were never particularly the best of friends, it will, nonetheless, be hard to lose him, as I will be the last of the three of us still living.
It will just be my mother and I left of our immediate family. She, of course, is in a nursing home and 88 years old. I don't imagine we will even tell her about Jim. She rarely sees him anyway and doesn't remember from day-to-day who has been to visit her. We have not told her that he is sick.
I'm so thankful for my two girls and my grandchildren. They will keep me anchored and focused on what is really important to me....my immediate family.
