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Passages
Yesterday morning (New Year's Eve) my mother's youngest sister Eleanor died. This is the one with "mental retardation" (I'm not sure if that's still an accepted term), believed due to a birth complication that deprived her of oxygen for a while. She'd lived in a variety of group homes since their mother died thirty-odd years ago. Her relationship with her four sisters was fraught: not only was she "the baby of the family", but perpetually dependent, both financially and emotionally. She'd had a couple of injuries in the past few months, wasn't interested in physical therapy to recover from them, and had recently stopped eating, so I think it was time.
Exactly four years earlier (New Year's Eve 2015), my mother's eldest sister Evelyn died. This is the one who had a breakdown in college, was diagnosed with "paranoid schizophrenia" (I'm not sure if that's still an accepted term), and lived in a variety of mental institutions for the past forty-odd years. The last time I saw her, she was happy, cheerful, and utterly disconnected from reality (although she recognized my mother).
A few months ago, my wife's eldest sister died. This is the one extrovert in the family, the gorgeous flirt who attracted boys from miles around and peaked in college.
On the other hand, my mother has a very good prognosis after surgery a week or two ago to remove a cancerous lump. My half-brother got married in November 2018, and my brother has a devastatingly charming toddler, having gotten married in July 2017 (22 years to the day after![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shalmestere and I got married).
Exactly four years earlier (New Year's Eve 2015), my mother's eldest sister Evelyn died. This is the one who had a breakdown in college, was diagnosed with "paranoid schizophrenia" (I'm not sure if that's still an accepted term), and lived in a variety of mental institutions for the past forty-odd years. The last time I saw her, she was happy, cheerful, and utterly disconnected from reality (although she recognized my mother).
A few months ago, my wife's eldest sister died. This is the one extrovert in the family, the gorgeous flirt who attracted boys from miles around and peaked in college.
On the other hand, my mother has a very good prognosis after surgery a week or two ago to remove a cancerous lump. My half-brother got married in November 2018, and my brother has a devastatingly charming toddler, having gotten married in July 2017 (22 years to the day after
shalmestere and I got married).