On a rainy Sunday evening I returned from St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark, having visited my brother, who had a heart attack the night before. The good news -- he had it where he worked, at St. Mike's ER. The not-so-good news -- he had it in an area where it was not observed. So his body was discovered, but there was no idea of how long he was dead. He was brought back, had a cath that discovered a 100 percent blocked vessel in his heart and a stent was inserted. So, while he was breathing with the aid of a ventilator, there was no idea of the damage to his brain and we would not know for a few days.
On the family side, he is one year out of a divorce that he initiated. His ex-wife, a former cardiac care nurse, resents his (30-year-old) children being burdened with decisions about his care. His children feel the need to protect their mom while trying to make the "best" decisions possible for their dad. My brother had taken some steps to move on with his life, one of which included a girlfriend. On top of it all, my brother suffered from depression for years and not until this past year did he ever agree to take medication to help with the issue. Until that time, my brother was not the easiest person to get along with.
The upshot -- which of course I'll make positive, since that's how I view life -- is this:
- My brother and I had done the work in this past year to mend our relationship that had become estranged after our parents died.
I encourage you to find the lessons in his story, whatever they might be...
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