I lost someone today. Well, to tell the story straight, my Mother lost one of her closest friends. I can't recall a time growing up when I didn't know Kathy, so I guess that means I've known her all my life. Kathy was only 51 years old.
But those were long years on Kathy. Years of drug and alcohol abuse tend to catch up with you sooner or later. Her body gave up its fight two weeks before her 52nd birthday. And while the fight was long, the last battle was, luckily, relatively short.
Mom called me yesterday at around noon and told me Kathy was sick. The doctors diagnosed advanced cirrhosis of the liver, renal failure and an inflamed pancreas. Her color was school-bus yellow, according to mom. Mom new Kathy was in a bad way and was calling me (1,000 miles away) to see if there was anything I could help with, assuming she made it over this first hurdle.
Too bad we never got a chance to try. Kathy's body gave up the fight about nine hours later.
Here's the irony. While this was going on, I'm sitting in clinic with a client recently diagnosed with a congested liver. Recalling the conversation with my Mom from earlier in the day, I kept Kathy in my mind as I'm helping my client make some dietary, supplement and botanical choices to assist the healing of her liver.
My sister called just as the session ended to tell me the news. Dandelion, anyone?