Much has been said about dying and about how hard a death can be on loved ones. But I’ve never seen anything like this email, which I received this morning. It’s from Myra Isaacs and Jan Oldenburg, who became the primary caregivers and care organizers for “Mighty Casey” Quinlan, who died April 25 after a month in a skilled nursing facility under the supervision of hospice.

In the past I’ve seen bits and pieces of the many tasks listed here but holy cow, when it’s all put together, it’s sobering. It’s a lot of work, at an unhappy and often stressful time.

I myself was not with them at Casey’s side in Richmond – I’m just the messenger who was blown away by this email and asked to publish it.

[Notes: “Mary” was Casey’s given first name at birth. She never liked the name, so adopted her original last name as her first. CeCe (Cecelia) is her sister.]

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