It’s been quite awhile since I’ve done an episode of “My Brush With Morbidity” – where readers share their morbid tales. Here’s an unbearably sad story from Narkitten.
“My Brush With Morbidity” by Narkitten
Christmas time 2000: we seemed to have a flu bug that bounced from child to parent to child in my house. I had a bout earlier in the month, but my two boys and husband didn’t get their turn until the week before Christmas. I did home-delivered meals for senior shut-ins and each year tried to take a helper “elf” around this time.
My husband had been up most of the night ill, and my youngest was running a low fever. It was Friday the 21st, so I took my older boy with me to work.
Around 9:30 we stopped at a store to get snacks. I discovered that I had forgotten my wallet at home. So I made a quick trip home for my wallet and to check on my ill ones. My son’s fever had broke and my husband was tired but feeling much better. I headed back to work, sure that things were fine.
I arrived home around 2:40 that afternoon. The company had gotten our checks to us, which we weren’t expecting until Monday. I was happy that we wouldn’t have to finish our Christmas shopping on Monday. My youngest was in the boys’ room playing video games. He apologized because “Daddy had said no”. I told him to get dressed and show his brother what he wanted to on the game. I went into my room, my hubby was laying on his chest on the bed, with a fan blowing on him. I walked past the bed and opened the blinds. As soon as I turned around, I knew something was horribly wrong. He was nearing white, and not breathing.
I had the boys bring me the phone, then sent them back to their room. I called 911 and tried to turn him over. His face and chest had reddish purpling to it. I knew the blood was settling. He had been gone for a while. I explained this to emergency services when they arrived, but they still did heroic efforts. He was pronounced at the hospital. The autopsy didn’t have conclusive evidence of cause of death. He was only 37.
Thank you for sharing that sad story with us, Narkitten.
If you have a story to share, please send it to me. My Brush With Morbidity Archives can be read here.
I lost my husband January 3 of this miserable year. Dead at 48 of an aortic aneurysm, just like that. Then, in March, I had a heart attack (at 46), a bypass that partially failed–hence a second heart attack that month, and a stent. In July, I had two hospital stays with more stents. In October, I had knee surgery. If I wrote a book about this, no one would believe it. I can’t wait for 2013 to be DONE.