About a month ago, Jean was pretty much unresponsive, and he refused to eat or drink. This went on for a couple of days. The nurse who comes to see him once a week sat us down for an end-of-life talk. She explained what will happen as the organs begin to shut down, she gave us some medications that might help him if needed, and showed us how to administer them.
Then - he began to rally once again. He started to eat again, and to speak a little bit. Last week he ate "like a lumberjack" - seconds, plus dessert! This week, it's been less. He doesn't remember any of the foods he used to love. His memory is gone. He doesn't even remember his own name.
"Your name is Malcolm Jean Charles", I told him today. That was news to him.
"How long have I had that name?" he asked.
"Oh, for at least a century," John said.
One whole century. Isn't that amazing? To think of all the amazing changes in the world that he has lived through.
