Easter Sunday and the Burial

On Easter Sunday a patient I recently started seeing, died. He was 48 years old and had been ailing for about 5 years (CVA x2). While I was sad for the family members who lost their loved one, I was reflecting on the day we were celebrating (Easter), and began to think to myself, "if I had to choose a day to die, Easter would be the perfect day". Ok, don't get me wrong, I am not wishing death on me, my family or any of my friends, but Easter is such a significant day, that [if] we knew our last day, I think Easter would be the day I would want. Think about all the pain and suffering Christ endured on the cross for me and you and then how He was mocked. But He told the crowd "in three days I will arise from the grave". As soon as He died, the very ones that were mocking him and torturing Him, knew He was the Lord. When He ever did rise on that third day, He fulfilled His promise! And to think of my patient who died on the Resurrection Day, how he will be pain free, no more suffering, because of the Risen Lord! It just amazed me.

Anyway, the family couldn't afford the mortician to prepare the body, so they asked me to help. So, Tuesday afternoon me and Ivy, the OT, went to the morgue and got the body. We had to bathe and shave him and then clothe him. While I am familiar with post mortem care, I wasn't really sure on pre burial care. It took about 45 minutes to prepare the body and the entire time, the family members were standing outside the door. They had a wooden coffin in the back of a borrowed pick up truck. When the body was prepared, I called two of the son in laws in to help get the body into the casket and they just looked at me and Ivy. So, Ivy and I did it ourselves. Because the man had been sick for some time, he had advanced wasting and weighed maybe 75 pounds. Me and Ivy were able to transfer the man to the casket by ourselves. We then had to travel in the back of the truck with the coffin, sons and sons in law, back to the house set up the coffin for the wake.

Sadly, when we got back to the house there were other family members there, ready to start conflict. The deceased wife laid her son to rest 3 weeks ago after he was stabbed to death in Belize City I couldn't get over how strong this lady was. She had taken care of her husband for 5 years. Not one area of skin breakdown on his body. He was clean and well cared for. Her home was neat as a pin. No electricity, and a wooden house on stilts. When I heard of all this woman had been through in such a short amount of time, I thought of the life of Job in the bible.

The whole thing was quite an experience I will surely not forget anytime soon.

I saw the wife at a friends house today and she has a lot of support and is feeling the love and encouragement from the local community.