October Is a Rotten Month

UPDATE:  I got some good news from my brother.  My sister-in-law's condition is NOT deteriorating and her doctor thinks that there is a good chance that she may be able to come home after all.  I really, really hope that she can come home, because she will feel so much better if all her family can be near to her.  Her two sisters and two sons will be flying out to Vancouver as soon as possible to be with her and this will help her, too.

I took a picture of some fall foliage at my house, so this post wouldn't be completely depressing, but I can't get my camera to talk to my computer, so no picture.

Things are really sad around my house right now.  October 9th was the twelfth anniversary of my father's death.  On October 10th, my brother called to say that my sister-in-law is in a hospital in Vancouver with the biggest blood clot in her lungs that the doctors there have ever seen.  She may not survive long enough to come home to Albuquerque.  The day my mother and I got back from vacation in August, my brother told us that my sister-in-law had been diagnosed with terminal panceatic cancer.  It had already spread to her liver and lymph nodes and there was nothing to be done that would be of any help to her.  My brother and sister-in-law planned a short vacation as a last time to have some fun together.  They were to fly to Vancouver and board a cruise ship and sail down the coast for four days, ending in San Diego.  They got to Vancouver and my sister-in-law became ill.  The doctors are trying to dissolve the blood clot, but now there are signs that her liver is failing.  I feel so bad for them.

I feel even worse for their older son, my nephew.  Today is his birthday.  He got married last spring and his mother-in-law died of lung cancer just a couple of weeks ago.  Now his mother is dying.  He was very close to my father.  Now his birthday will be forever bracketed by his grandfather's death and his mother's.  Of course, we don't know how long she has left, but it is going to be very bad for him.

I haven't been able to write any limericks since we got the news.  I will keep trying, because it takes my mind off my sorrow, but it's just not working right now.  Maybe tomorrow.  Sorry to dump all this on you, but it helps me a bit to talk about it.