{April 12, 2011}

I did not take this photograph, but given the subject matter it is fitting for today. The man in the picture is my Uncle Rick, the woman is his wife. He is my dad's youngest brother and looks a hell of a lot like my dad. Rick was always the fun uncle, almost always had a smile on his face, and was constantly cracking jokes. He married a sweet woman named, Joy, and together they had a very good life. About six years ago she unfortunately got sick, and passed away. Soon after he met an (from what I'm told as I have not yet had the pleasure to meet her) equally sweet woman named, Amy. They left Indiana and moved to Arizona as my uncle decided he no longer wanted to see snow and ice. Recently my dad went out to visit Rick and Amy and had a great time reconnecting and visiting. I had hopes of one day being able to see my uncle and meet his wife.

Sometime last month, my dad got a call that Rick was in ICU due to a really bad bout of pneumonia. They had to intubate Rick and give him strong antibiotics, which caused his kidneys to fail. Things looked really bad. We all waited, sent up good thoughts, and hoped for the best. Rick turned the corner, improving, and soon was off of the ventilator and out of ICU. His next stop was the rehabilitation hospital so he could get strong again before heading home. While there he developed a gastrointestinal bleed, which led to a stroke. Although they did everything they could for him, his brain did not get enough oxygen resulting in zero activity on his EEG. My dad flew out there to be with Amy, help with the arrangements, and say goodbye to his brother. To say it was a shock to us would be an understatement. We all thought that Rick was in the clear and would soon be back at home with Amy, looking at houses to buy as they had been before all of this happened. I am so very sad that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him, yet even more so for Amy, my dad, my Aunt (Rick's sister), and my uncle (Rick's brother).

Despite the tragic loss of a loved one, there is something good to come of it all. My uncle was a frequent blood donor and wanted to be an organ donor. His wife honored his wishes, and now Rick will get to live on, in a way, and help others in the process. There is nothing more selfless than to give the gift of life, or sight, in a time of sorrow. I am so proud of my uncle for wanting this, and even more so of my aunt for following through.

Rick passed away on April 8th. Today is my uncle's viewing. Later tonight he will be cremated.

On to the pic...{click to view full size}