by debwfrank | Dec 20, 2018 | cancer, dysfunctional families, grief, loss, trauma
Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash Yesterday I learned that my brother-in-law died. Keith was a heavy Facebook user who suddenly went quiet, so a neighbor checked on him and discovered he’d passed away in his sleep—at 65. Since he was living in Ecuador, I hadn’t seen...
by debwfrank | Dec 4, 2018 | breast cancer, cancer, trauma
photo by Josh Adamski, courtesy of Upsplash I just heard the commercial friends have been telling me about, the one for an injectable migraine drug. A few weeks ago, I would have been ready to sign on, though the drug claims are underwhelming, purporting to, “reduce...
by debwfrank | Apr 13, 2018 | trauma
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash It’s been apparent all week that I need to be here. There was and is much to sort out and it isn’t like Carol can hop out of bed and see to it herself. The level of disorganization seems pervasive. On Monday, Carol shook her head...
by debwfrank | Apr 9, 2018 | trauma
Photo by Martha Dominguez de Gouveia on Unsplash What do you do when something awful happens to one of your most important people? You do anything you can to make a difference. That’s why I’m here in Baltimore. It meant a last-minute (which is to say nauseatingly...
by debwfrank | Mar 31, 2018 | breast cancer, trauma
Photo by Imthaz Ahamed on Unsplash It’s bad with Carol. She’s 2800 miles from family and friends and she can’t even sit up, let alone walk. Lisa flew out when it happened, but in another week, she’s scheduled to take a cruise to Hawaii to celebrate her 25th wedding...
by debwfrank | Mar 30, 2018 | childhood trauma, trauma
Photo by Wade Lambert on Unsplash So, March came in with a roar, but where’s the whimper of its exit? On the way to my bone density measurement appointment, I get a call from Virginia’s daughter. Lisa has bad news. Carol, who is 83, fell down an escalator in Bethesda....
