My own Trail of Tears

As I said in my last blog, Ed was having some problems.  He had a non-injury fall, but was not opening his eyes and they had to use the lift to get him out of bed.  That was Saturday; on Sunday, I was told that he was not responsive, wasn't eating or drinking...basically in a coma.  I asked them to run a test for UTI because he acted this way last Spring when he had a urinary tract infection.  Because he was so dehydrated it took forever to get a sample to test.  At 3:00am on Monday morning, I got a call and was told that he didn't have any infection and the Dr. was sure he had suffered a stroke, which may have caused his fall.  At that point, I decided to drive home as quickly as possible.  I had planned to fly if the need arose, but with Sandi still being on medication for the Staph infection, I didn't want to leave her to drive herself.  As soon as Sandi got up, which was early for her, I talked to her and to Randy.  Sandi agreed that we leave A.S.A.P.  Off we went.  We had been on the road for about 1 1/2 hours when we made a stop for gas and bathroom.  When I got back to the car, my cell phone was ringing.  I answered it and got the news that Ed had just passed away.  He had donated his body to OHSU (Oregon Health and Sciences University) and I can only pray that someone will learn from Ed.  I had so wanted to be with him at the end, however God had other plans for him.  It was almost as though Ed knew we were heading home, so it was okay to go.
Our initial travel plans were to go through New Mexico and Arizona, stopping at the Grand Canyon. When my friend Randy searched for the fastest route for us, it turned out that going west and then north wasn't the fastest - going north and then west was.  So, we have been in Kansas (where I developed a horrible sinus and ear infection) and are now in Colorado having our lunch.  Sandi and I have definitely been contributing to the health and welfare of the Pharmaceutical companies!
I'm okay about Ed.  The last year has been a very hard one, physically and emotionally, for him.  He wasn't able to express himself because of the damage caused by the last brain bleed.  He could talk, but the wrong words kept coming out.  Sometimes that frustrated him and sometimes he didn't notice.   So, Sandi and I are headed home so I can take care of anything that needs taken care of.  Ed didn't want a funeral, he just said "Tell them that when they hear 'Take 5' or 'Amazing Grace' to think of me."  Also, donate to Alzheimer's Research in Ed's name if you could.  This blog is rather disjointed, but that fits as that is how I feel.  We'll be in Portland on Friday and I'll take pictures along the way to post.  'Bye until then.