This post is submitted to Sunday Photo Fiction.
The telephone call came at 6:04 p.m. I remember the exact time because the national news was beginning and the ringing of the telephone irritated me.
It was Sara. “Jeff passed away last night,” she cried.
I was speechless. My mind going from full speed ahead to a full stop in a nanosecond.
Jeff was diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia four years ago. I was a witness to this disease’s rapid progress through his mind and body.
We were both terrible golfers. But Jeff started to have difficulty keeping his score. As the disease progressed we would tell him what he scored. He would say, “That sounds about right.” At one point he took a swing at an imaginary ball. He went through all the motions: put the ball on the tee, took a practice swing, then took a full swing with a beautiful follow through. But he forgot to take the ball out of his pocket. “Mike, you forgot the ball!” Mike went through the same procedure again without the ball.
As this terrible disease progressed he would lose the ability to recognize family and friends, forget how to use eating utensils. Four years from diagnosis to death. Jeff was 62 year old.
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Oh Danny Boy! 
Sometimes dad doesn’t come fast enough. Well damn
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Sad story. A man is stripped of his dignity slowly but definitely by a deadly ailment.
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Yes, and it happens way too often.
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A very cruel illness described well.
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting again. Appreciate it!
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This hits very close to home.. Excellent write.
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So sad. I have a funeral to attend tomorrow. A friend and coworkers husband dead from cancer. Fifty years old. Nineteen months from diagnosis to death. Awful.
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Awful indeed. My story is actually a true account of a friend of mine. 4 years from diagnosis to death. Hard to be a witness to that.
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In cases like this sometimes it is better if death does come fast and not drag slowly and without dignity.
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True. We need to have that choice to die instead of suffering forever.
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So young, so sad.
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You have hit on the right age, when it happens. A very sensitive take!
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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That was a sad state! 😦
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