Today at 12:45 AEST, Marianne died. She’d been fighting since Sunday the same illness that Charlotte succumbed to yesterday. Marianne hung on and fought for days by turns improving and worsening. The fact that she survived so long astounded the medical people. The doctors and nurses who looked after her came to refer to her as ‘your little fighter.’
She was also a victim of her immaturity and her eagerness to be born. The bacteria which only made its way into Charlotte’s gut penetrated further into Marianne. It crossed the underdeveloped blood/brain barrier and caused a ever-growing lesion in her brain. At the end, when she was removed from life support, she still fought for another 35 minutes of life to make sure that even though she was born a minute after Charlotte she lived a full day longer.
I miss them both so much. I’m glad I knew them even if only for 11 and 12 days. I’m so angry at the universe for inflicting this much hurt on Kathi and I.
Toutes mes condoléances, Chris et Kathi…. I’m so sorry for you… Here’s a poem from William Blake…
Le voilier
Je suis debout au bord de la plage.
Un voilier passe dans la brise du matin et part vers l’océan.
Il est la beauté, il est la vie.
Je le regarde jusqu’à ce qu’il disparaisse à l’horizon.
Quelqu’un à mon coté dit : “Il est parti ! ”
Parti ? Vers où ?
Parti de mon regard, c’est tout !
Son mât est toujours aussi haut,
sa coque a toujours la force de porter sa charge humaine.
Sa disparition totale de ma vue est en moi, pas en lui.
Et juste au moment où quelqu’un près de moi dit : “Il est parti ! ”
Il y en d’autres qui, le voyant poindre à l’horizon et venir vers eux,
s’exclament avec joie : “Le voilà ! ”
C’est ça la mort.