With great sadness I have to report that Peter died on 6th July. As he had described previously his quality of life was deteriorating rapidly – faster than we had expected. We had enjoyed a wonderful garden party for our son Alex and his fiancée, on the 2nd July as planned, and the ‘eye gaze speech’ was a triumph.
However, we both recognised that his ability to participate in and enjoy life was being completely eroded by the illness and a constant feeling of exhaustion and being unwell. Over recent months we had discussed his growing dependency on his NIV, and as he said last month, it provided an opportunity. He has always been determined to stay one step ahead of this disease, by organising equipment and appointments and devising strategies so that nothing took us by surprise. So finally he made the brave decision to exercise his right to refuse treatment and to ask for his ventilator to be withdrawn. Our lovely community palliative care team made the arrangements for him to be admitted to the local hospice, and true to character he remained in control and was calm and comfortable as he fell asleep, with his family around him.
Peter leaves a massive gap in all our lives, but as a family we are immensely proud of the way he confronted his illness and of his hope that by recording his journey he could help others.
Sue
You are very special Sue and we are thinking of you and your lovely family especially as you prepare for tomorrow.
Don’t think of him as gone away
His journey’s just begun,
Life holds so many facets
This earth is only one.
Just think of him as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and years.
Think how he must be wishing
That we could know today
How nothing but our sadness
Can really pass away.
And think of him as living
In the hearts of those he touched
For nothing loved is ever lost
And he was loved so much.
– Poem by Ellen Brenneman
With much love Laurie and June xxxx