THEIR LOVE IS STRONG

Editor's Note: The following post was written by BH resident and fellow Californian, TT Quandry. It is a touching piece written at what must be a very difficult time for TT and her family. In a world full of cynics who swear that love is dead, it is reassuring to read that love lives on in the hearts of people all over. TT, thank you for sharing with us.

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Their Love
By TT Quandry

I got word today that my uncle who has had cancer for a very long time, was close to the end. I went to see him. I walked into his home, my aunt greeted me, with a hug, the “it is near hug.”

He was in a hospital bed at the foot of their bed. My aunt lay on their bed, and reached into his hospital bed, to hold his hand. The love they had for each other was screaming. He held her hand tightly. His grip was strong. He searched for her wedding ring on her finger.

His arms were all dark, his face drawn from his weight loss. His oxygen was going into his nose. We told him I was there. I had come to see him. We talked around his bed; I sat in his wheelchair, my other aunt in his walker. He said something. What was it? We all listened. After asking him to repeat it over and over, he wanted a hug from me. I put down the side rail and hugged my uncle. A once vibrant man, who was a part of my youth, and was there always, was now a frail man.

I could tell he was holding on. He would not let the life he had slip away. He wanted to get up and share the day with us. But he did not have the strength. My aunt sat there on their bed. Holding his hand. She is so attentive to every need he has. Every move he made, she war right there to help him. She really loves him. Their little cat has even found a place by his side in the hospital bed. Keeping my uncle company.

As I am about to leave, I went to the head of the bed to say good-bye. Leaning over the bed, I hugged him. Told him to do what he needed to do. He said ‘I love you’.

I can only imagine the love they shared, my aunt and uncle. It was written all over their actions and faces. She taking care of him by herself, over the years, months, now days, giving him the physical and emotional care he needs. Giving him the normalcy of life. Yesterday it was loading the car with everything so they could have a few days at the beach. Today is was putting drops of water into his mouth to keep it moist. He is holding on to life for her. He is her pillar of life. Their love is strong…