My sister, Heidi, died Thursday after a very brief and sudden flare-up of her lung disease. She started to have serious trouble breathing Christmas night and by the next morning was in ICU on oxygen. She wasn’t expected to survive. She seemed to rally some and was scheduled to come home to be on hospice but died immediately after the transport home. Her family is quite devastated especially Richard her husband of 53 years. Heidi was funny and loved her kids and grandkids.

We had some fun times when she came out to visit us which started the year of my SCT and she came out to help Barclay with things since I was not up and about. After that time she like to come out as it was a way to ‘get away’ from things and do something different.

She was very concerned when Barclay was diagnosed with MDS and was in contact with us frequently. She developed the Interstitial disease lung disease about 4 years ago and was on oxygen. She really became house bound for the most part.

This whole past year I knew something was wrong as she didn’t answer emails or texts too often. She seemed very forgetful. I’m not sure that this was related but it seems so.

It’s all a bit of a shock when things happen without warning. If it wasn’t for Covid and Omicron surges, I’d fly back now but as it is I will try and go back in the summer.

I sent some flowers but that seems kind of lame but didn’t know what else to do.

In the same vein, Philip, our brother was killed in Viet Nam on January 7th 1968. So memories of January 6th and 7th will be sad ones.

None of us get out of dying and it’s always a reminder of how precious life is and to try and live each day to the fullest in whatever way that you can, and with whatever circumstances you have.