A Yuletide Tragedy

[Elspode]

I arrived at the hospital at around 4:30 this afternoon. At about 4:45, the doctors called in the mother, my wife and another friend (as clergy), and the mother's housemate. They reported that CAT and MRI scans confirm no function in the midbrain. They have advised discontinuation of life support as soon as possible in order to make the child's passing as easy as possible.

Since it is likely that Connor will continue to breathe for some time after the ventilator is removed, this is not going to be like simply turning off a switch. "Unplugging" someone is not the clean, neat process that we all would wish for it to be. Instead, the patient's body systems take time to fail, and the process of physical death can take hours, even days.

The mother has asked for numerous family, community members and clergy to be present when Connor's support is discontinued. There will be nearly twenty people in the ICU, and a ritual will be conducted. There will probably be nearly twenty more in the waiting room, as a vigil begins to ensure that someone is with both Connor and his mother at the critical moment.

Such a woeful event. I can only say that we are truly blessed to have such a closely knit community.