does life get worse than this?

some people, their lives just couldn't get any worse...

we have a patient. he had a transplant more than 2 years ago. it worked. he had some quality time. he retired. he travelled the world with his wife. he lived life, in case it didn't last much longer. until sure enough, this year, he relapsed.

he arrived on my floor more than 6 weeks ago with a positive attitude. he needed ANOTHER transplant. this time however, he got VERY sick. he had a respiratory virus that compromised his respiratory function to the point he needed to be intubated and ventilated (essentially, he was on life support). he got dialysis when his kidneys stopped working. and we all thought he would die.

but, he persevered. his family remained by his side. he fought. he got extubated. he's doing his physical therapy. and occupational therapy. and speech therapy. and swallow therapy. but he's not "healthy" enough to transfer to rehab quite yet. his health, although still compromised and susceptible, is getting better. his life was improving.

until thursday evening. when his wife returned home from a day at the hospital to find their 23 year old son unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing. she did CPR until the paramedics came. and she rode with her son in the ambulance, to the same hospital her husband nearly lost his life just weeks before. after resuscitation, medications, and dozens of tests, it was discovered that the 23 year old boy had no brain activity. his overdose had caused multiple organ failure. there was no hope for recovery.

on friday afternoon, a stoic and feeble, man - my patient - protected his immune system with a gown, gloves, and mask and was wheeled off my unit and onto another to say goodbye to his only child. at 4:30 PM, care was withdrawn. life support was stopped. and the 23 year old boy died. before his father. before his grandparents.

i'm not sure life gets much worse.