Uncle Dick

Yesterday, we didn't have any hot water so my husband called his mom to see if it was alright if we went over there to clean up. My mother-in-law said that would be fine because they weren't even home. They had left for the casino after picking us up at the airport on Monday night and were currently at, or en route to, the ER because Sonny's uncle Dick was complaining of stomach problems (apparently he had a chronic history of stomach problems).

Later in the day, Sonny called his mom to see how things were going and Uncle Dick had gone through a CT scan and ended up needing to be airlifted to a hospital in St. Paul (as they were by Turtle Lake, WI). They suspected that he had a heart attack and Sonny and I speculated that he would probably end up staying with my in-laws for a while, as he's not married, and legally blind.

After 4 pm, my mother-in-law called to tell Sonny that "the news isn't good", in that his heart wasn't strong enough for surgery. He had had the stomach problems for years, and had been to doctors for that, but none of them ever really assessed the condition of his heart. (Why would you when the problem that he was complaining of was his stomach?)

Sometime after dinner, we found out that he had been taken off of life support. I asked if that was a good sign or not. Sonny thought not.

Then just after 9 pm, Sonny called his mom before he went to bed and was informed that Uncle Dick had passed away. It was so surreal. I cried. I felt so sad because a week ago, he was fine and going out to dinner with my in-laws and my son while we had other plans. The day before he was fine and they were going to the casino. It didn't make any sense. But I kind of felt a little silly too because he was Sonny's uncle, not mine. I hadn't known him as long as Sonny. But I was still sad for my husband, my in-laws, and their loss.

Sonny didn't cry. He did seem to be acting a little off throughout the day, and I expressed that I understood that he was worried. But when he got the news that Uncle Dick had passed away, he commented something to the effect that someday all of us, including our aunts and uncles, are going to pass away, and it seemed flippant to me. But, at the same time, it seemed an appropriate response because as we stood there in the kitchen, it just seemed like it wasn't really happening, and I wasn't sure if he was in denial or if he was in shock.

The more I thought about that statement, the more I realized that it's true. But it also made me sad. Between us we have 16 aunts and uncles, plus 12 spouses. That's 28 aunts and uncles that will someday pass away. I don't even really like to think about that, except that it was thrust in our faces yesterday as a grim reality.