On Death and Dying
I am no stranger to death and dying. Let me count the ways:
- 1976– My mother succumbed to breast cancer
- 1990– My 28 year old brother, Reuben died from Fulminant Hepatitis A
- 1999– Oscar, my 40 year old brother died of leukemia (AML- 6)
- 2000– Luijoe died from accidental drowning at a beach resort in Cebu
- 2003– Dad died of diabetes complications after being bedridden for 4 years.
Two of the above deaths were quite sudden without grief preparation of inevitable death unlike an illness where there is time to weep. I witnessed the dying and death of my mom, my son and my dad. The passing of our parents before us is a normal course in life. The passing of a young sibling and a child is not the normal course of events. It’s unimaginable.
Can you imagine the torment that the Mother Mary must have felt when she saw his dying son nailed to the cross?