ABOUT ME

Kind, intelligent, idealistic

Interests

promoting affordable cooperative housing, eating, love-making, bicyclying, swimming, politics

• politics
• swimming

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My mother, who is 99 a/2, has been in the hospital for three days, rare for her (she lives in her own house, and takes care of herself). I'm sleeping there in the hospital. Early morning, two nurses are at her bedside. I get up. One says, "Sir, you have to leave the room." She has stopped breathing, and they are about to try to resustitate her. I'm standng at te foot of the bed. I say, a bit shakily, "I'm here." Then is put all my energy into three letters: "D N R." (Do not resustitate.) My mother and I had never talked about this situation--she was always healthy--but I knew it was right, without thinking. A woman came into the room. I said, "You're the chaplain?" I fell into her arms sobbing. Then, I recovered and convinced the hospital to let me take my mother home to lie there for friends and neighbors to say goodbye to. Not a bad way to go. I've had other experiences, but this one may give you an idea.