I'm about to go hug and cuddle the stuffing out of Matilda for the first time in two weeks.
My youngest brother just posted this on the Caringbridge page that had been created for our dad--he is such a fine, eloquent writer. He asked for input on it before posting but none of the rest of us could think of a word that needed changing. He also just called to check in. We've talked more in the last week than I think we have in the last few years.
Dear Family and Friends,
It's with heavy hearts that we update everyone on our beloved father, Gene.
He was brought to Summit Hospital on the morning of March 24th, and has been resting peacefully in the ICU since. In the first few days, he showed hopeful signs of battling this terrible virus, but soon had a fever again and required increased oxygen. In the days that followed, his temperature and oxygen levels returned to normal, but only with the increased help of a ventilator, and with that, higher levels of sedation required to remain comfortable. Dad, never wanting to burden his loved ones, kept private the extent to which his COPD had progressed, and this has made it very difficult for his lungs to overcome the effects of the virus. We hope and pray for recovery, but, while stable and not getting worse, his condition hasn't improved in about a week.
He fortunately isn't in any pain, and is receiving outstanding care from the nurses and doctors at Summit. The most difficult and unfair aspect of the situation is not being able to be with him, and each other, through this difficult time. With the help of the nurses, we three and Wendy have been able to FaceTime with him to let him know we're with him. Despite being very sedated, he did show signs of recognizing familiar voices, so we know this has provided some comfort and peace.
In the coming days, please keep Dad in your prayers. We continue to hope for a miracle, but we also know we must honor his wishes in determining appropriate care.
-Jacqueline, Chris, Lukas, and Wendy
It all feels completely surreal--I look at the Johns Hopkins update page, and read personal essays in WaPo and Salon and the NYT and whatnot and think, "Oh, that sounds terrible for them," and then I remember that some of those numbers are us and we're living in one of those First Person How I Lived Through It Meditations On A Pandemic essays. It's fucking absurd.