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An Entire Family Deals with Ilness

Let’s call my brother Bro so I can stop saying my brother. This picture was taken at least a couple years ago because he still has fullness in his face. He doesn’t now. He still has very dark brown hair down to his waste and often has it pulled back. His beard mustache thing is a constant. (It will go away if he is still around long enough to get his open heart surgery.) It will come back if he makes it through the surgery.

It started out with SLE Lupus and everything progressed from that point. Yes, he deals with the physical and mental pain more than anyone else and still the whole family owns a portion. No one complains and we all try and stay strong. His current weight is 105. (He’s a walking skeleton.)

He has two more surgeries planned if he is strong enough and if they can truly get them scheduled correctly.

It’s a bit of a miracle that against all odds we decided years ago to buy a sort of duplex home so we could live and work together and still have our own space. I am so grateful to be here and so he is not going through all this alone or in some kind of nursing home.

My first chore of the day is to check and see if he and my husband are both breathing. Yes, sometimes I do that with tears and sometime I find some hidden strength from somewhere. Yes, he is a primary focus in my world, a typical tease and brings me to tears with laughter and sadness.

I would wish SLE Lupus on my worst enemy. ( I admit at one time I was tempted to wish it someone – I repented)

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Written by Ghostwriter

7 Comments

  1. I’m so glad you are there for your brother. He needs you. I hope that they will be able to schedule the surgeries and that your brother will be strong enough.

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  2. I have watched many family members pass away. I am left with only a few. Sorry you too know the pain and anguish involved in this process.

    Try to savor the moment as they will be memories to get you through later.

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