Ted

When I was pregnant with Timmy our neighbors threw us a small baby shower. I remember sitting around the host's dining room table, casually chatting with our neighbors. Sue, the lady who lives next door to us, mentioned that her husband was diagnosed with ALS. Instantly the tone of the shower changed and our collective hearts broke.  

Ted must have sensed the change in our moods, because he tried to soothe the blow by mentioning that the doctors gave him five to seven more years. He planned to use those years to continue to live life to the fullest. Slowly, the joyful mood of the shower returned and the banter resumed but I never forgot his words.

Over the years we have watched Ted slowly decline. He went from riding his bicycle through the neighborhood to slowly walking. Then he was walking with a cane until, one day, he was tooling to get the mail in a new power scooter.  As the disease began to change and ravage his body, his spirit and grateful outlook remained constant.  

After Mr. Bill moved away I have become closer to Sue. I guess we were both looking for companionship and sort of found each other. I have started to drop off meals and Robby has been volunteered to help with yard work. I have gotten to know both of them as more than neighbors. They both have become friends.

In April Ted's health began to fail. He was taken to the hospital numerous times for unexplained bleeding and bloating. A few weeks ago Sue called and asked for help. She was trying to transport Ted to the hospital and he fell on top of her in the driveway. Unable to move him off of her, she needed Robby and Scott's assistance. They immediately took off across the street to help. I didn't realize that it was the last time that they would see Ted. 

I recognized the symptoms from my Dad and I wasn't shocked when the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was revealed. Over the past few weeks Ted has been receiving hospice care. His family has surrounded him and rallied around Sue. We have tried to help and support from afar, periodically leaving food and toys for the grandkids who were visiting. 

Yesterday Sue stopped me in the street to let me know that Ted had just passed away. Immediately I felt transported back in time, revisiting the grief I felt when I lost my Dad. Pancreatic cancer is a horrific disease. He had been preparing to die from ALS but was ultimately taken by pancreatic cancer. I'm now sure which fate is worse, but I pray that he is now at peace.