Last week was terrible. Six days ago, at approximately 3 a.m. in the morning, my wife’s mother, Zeynep, died. As soon as we heard that tragic news, I began to send texts and make calls to a variety of people so that I could stay home from work to tend to my wife and give vent to my own profound sadness.
Zeynep had been suffering from kidney disease for a couple of years or so. Her treatment had primarily consisted of dialysis treatments that left her exhausted and depressed. Then, about three months or so ago, something changed. Her body—for whatever reason—began to reject treatment. It became harder and harder for the doctors to administer dialysis and her medicine seemed to stop working. As a result, my mother-in-law’s condition deteriorated which led to more depression which led to a worsening of her physical state. It was a vicious circle that she’d become trapped in.
On the morning of Zeynep’s death, Azza, my wife, had trouble sleeping. She tossed and turned in the bed next to me. A few minutes before 3 a.m., she woke up and called her family in Cairo, Egypt, to make sure everything was Okay. She started telephoning her brothers and sisters but none of them would answer. Finally, she got someone on the line only to learn that her mother had just passed to the other side. So, about the time my wife had had her premonition, her mother was breathing her last breath.
I cannot tell you how bad I feel for my wife. I understand her loss completely. I actually witnessed my grandfather—I man I was profoundly close to—die in his bed in his home. That was the culmination of a long, debilitating illness. And when he finally left us, it took weeks for many of us to fully recover from that devastating blow.
Death is so final. That’s why it makes us feel devastated and sad and angry. There is no one to complain to when it happens. You can shake your fist and scream, but none of those actions will do any good. Death cannot be reversed upon appeal.
From time to time, my wife turns to me, and with tears in her eyes, asks, “Is she really gone?” To which I quietly answer, “Yes, she’s gone.”
I wish I could tell her that she’ll be back soon. But that would be a lie.
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