Chapter 17 – Letting Go (Excerpt 10)

A paragraph from Chapter 17

I turned to look at Jeremy, sure that he would be having the same thoughts. But in that moment, something shifted. His whole face and body relaxed. The strain of all the past weeks and months disappeared and his face slipped into an expression of calm repose. It happened in seconds. In the same few seconds it took me to decide that the doctor was wrong, Jeremy had accepted his prognosis. He wasn’t going to fight anymore. I could see that straight away. He had had enough; his body had had enough and his spirit was tired. His doctor had given him permission to let go and he had accepted it. Calmly, quietly and almost imperceptibly, he let death become his new reality.

In the silence that followed I knew it was over.

 

Significance of this excerpt:

For two years Jeremy had all sorts of treatment to fight his cancer. He fought his illness with such grace and positivity. The paragraph above explains what happened shortly after the the oncologist told him that they could do no more for him and that he only had days, perhaps weeks to live. I was not willing to accept this and wanted to argue with the oncologist and encourage Jeremy to fight on. But, in those few moments Jeremy gave up the fight. Within 72 hours he passed away.

Look out for Excerpt 11 coming soon

Shalini

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