Category: death
-
Ho-ho-hospital
I just spent my seventh night in the hospital. I went to sleep when my IV antibiotic finished just after 11:00 p.m. Then the nurse came in to draw blood at midnight. Then the tech came in to get my vital signs at 1:00 a.m. Then the nurse came in to hook me up to…
-
You heard it here
Guess who was on a podcast?! Me! I recently had the opportunity to be a guest on Pam Baker’s podcast, The Lost Love Stories. Pam is a legend in the CF community. I feel cheesy saying that, like I’m trying to puff her up, but I mean it. Pam has two sons with CF, both…
-
Doggone it
Yesterday marked one month without Noodle. I felt her absence strongly on Tuesday when I returned home from a trip. Often, reuniting with the dogs is the highlight of coming home from vacation. But on a shuttle at the airport, it struck me that Noodle wouldn’t be part of the welcoming committee for the first…
-
Docu-Drama
One night last week, I decided to watch a documentary while I worked on a jigsaw puzzle. If that sounds nerdy, I agree—and I own every bit of it. I browsed titles, looking for one that sounded inspiring. I love all types of docs, but I wanted a boost that night. I landed on one…
-
Adieu, Noodle Lou
Growing up, I wanted a dog, but I feared the yet-to-be-acquired dog’s death. I suspect that’s not typical kid behavior, but my CF diagnosis instilled in me a death obsession. I grieved every loss I could dream up—even losses of relationships that didn’t yet exist. In May 2012, with Ramón’s encouragement, I decided I was…
-
I went to medical school
“Making Death Casual” should be my tagline. Most people don’t want to discuss mortality, but it’s one of my favorite topics. When I talk about death, I’m really talking about life. Yesterday I spent the morning at the Emory School of Medicine. A pulmonologist I love, Dr. Linnemann, was giving a lecture on cystic fibrosis…
-
RIP People-Pleasing Drew
As part of a writing program I’m taking, we were asked to write an obituary to a place or to a former version of ourselves. I opted for the latter. Here’s what I wrote: It is with the utmost liberation that we announce the long-awaited passing of People-Pleasing Drew. Often sacrificing her own joy to…
-
Judge Ramón Alvarado ’05
I type this with tears in my eyes. They’re mostly droplets of gratitude that I had the immense pleasure of spending almost a decade of my life with Ramón. But I’ll admit that, today, some are droplets of sorrow, wishing he’d had just a little more time to enrich this world—and, selfishly, my life. One…
-
Livin’ it up at the Death Café
When I imagine a café, I picture an atmosphere teeming with energy — pleasant smells, bits of conversation and laughter, an overall sense of coziness. But when I first heard the term “Death Café,” my brain needed a moment to process. I’d never heard those words in such close proximity and certainly not paired together.…
-
Woe to the child (birthday edition)
You know that ol’ medieval European saying, “Woe to the child who tastes salty from a kiss on the brow, for he is cursed and soon will die”? No? Nobody? Parents have been cautioned about salty babies since at least the 15th century. Salty skin was “known to herald an unavoidable death preceded by rasping…
-
37th Heaven
I turn 37 on April 26. On the surface, 37 doesn’t sound like a particularly significant age. It’s approaching “I’m almost 40” territory but not quite close enough to claim it. It’s an age best announced exactly as it is: 37. The number 37 stands out to me, though, because, as I entered adulthood, it…
-
Don’t put the pity in serendipity (a grief no-no)
When you’ve lost a loved one, certain dates are etched in your mind. The big milestones are impossible to forget, but other, less monumental dates stick out, too. People share these “anniversaries” for a number of reasons — to reminisce, to document a memory, to relate to other grievers. And, yes, sometimes it’s for attention,…
-
Celebrating Megan Rosemarie
In late October, I wrote a post about my friend, Megan, who passed away. Yesterday we celebrated Megan’s life, and I want to share what I said — along with a link to a memoir about her travels. Although the length of time I knew Megan pales in comparison to most of you, I also…
-
La mademoiselle Megan
When I met Megan, she was holding a box of donuts. It was March 2021, and we were standing in my parents’ driveway, leery of COVID-19. Megan had been at the doctor that morning for bloodwork, and she and her mom, Marcie, stopped by after with donuts to share. We originally connected on Instagram. After…
-
27 months
“Today’s date is the 20th,” the poll worker announced this morning as I completed paperwork to vote in Georgia’s (very important) election. The 20th jumped out at me, as it often does. I got married on one 20th, and I became a widow on another 20th. After doing some quick calculations, including counting on my…