Death of a Loved one

Death of a Loved One

People say that as time passes the death of a loved one gets easier. Time, what is the definition of time to them? I do not feel that with time it gets any easier, it makes it harder. The saying that, "time heals old wounds" is a cliché. In my short time here on earth I have had to deal with death many times, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousin, and friends. They are all hard. But when losing someone who one is very close too, talk to everyday is the hardest. Healthcare in America is supposed to be aiming towards new depths, whether it is cleft palate, or an auto immune disorder, there are studies and trials being done everyday across the globe, my family members seem to be some of the patients who were lost and unable to be included in the new depths in healthcare. Of course, this could be related to a thousand different reasons, but the main one that sticks in my mind is MONEY or lack of it!

Evie, my cousin on my husband's side and I were very close. She was 18 years old and had a daughter, my goddaughter Lizette. Evie was born with a cleft palate and required many surgeries to correct this birth defect. On February 11, 2007, she went to Oroville Hospital to have her 15th surgery. After this surgery she would only require two more then she would be done. Instead, she suffered a major stroke which went unnoticed by the nursing staff at the hospital. It was not noticed until the following day by my Aunt Bertha. There is a medication called TPA, which is used for stroke patients. This medication can only be used within four hours of a stroke occurring; any time outside of these four hours, this medication could be deadly to the patient. For Evie, due to the lack of proper care this time had passed, and there was nothing more that could be done for her. On February 15, 2007, we said our goodbyes; this was not only the hardest thing I ever did but it hurt the most because I watched my goddaughter, who was 2 1/2 years old, say goodbye to her mother. It has been five years and in no way has losing Evie hurt any less than the day she passed.

On July 31, 2008, my sister-in-law Olivia passed away from an auto immune disease she contracted by serving in the United States Air Force while stationed in Haiti for one year. Olivia was medically discharged from the military and her medical care was transferred to the Veterans Hospital. One week she would be told she was better, then the next she would need to take medication for the rest of her life. Eventually, she was admitted for liver failure, and required a liver transplant within weeks or she would die. Olivia declined rapidly and was transferred to an Oregon Veterans Hospital for a transplant. They said she would receive it within days of arriving, but she was told there was a mistake and the liver was not a match. While in the hospital, her three sons remained at home with the family praying their