Goodbye, My Friend

I had not talked to my friend Ted since Easter so I phoned him this morning.  A woman answered and I knew instantly that he was gone.   It was his ex-wife and she told me the news.  He had been sick with pneumonia and in the hospital.  He was septic.  No pain medication was making him comfortable and the family had to keep asking the doctors for more.  They finally switched from morphine to diladid.  His wish was comfort only; DNR, DNI.   He passed last Saturday, April 20^th.

I met Ted through the Washington state chapter of NF over 8 years ago….the president of the chapter told me about him being isolated, as I was.  So we emailed each other for a long time, then started calling and eventually met one time….a time I will now cherish.  His sister took some pictures of us and I’m posting one here.  He asked me not to while he was alive.

Ted was the sweetest soul I’ve ever met.  In spite of his many challenges, he had a positive outlook and was always kind to people, even when many were not so kind to him.  I will miss his words of wisdom and encouragement, his soft and sweet voice, his wicked sense of humor and our shared anguish over the pain we were both in.  I look forward to the day my journey here is over and the pain is no more.  Of course, I don’t know for sure the pain will be over, but that is my fervent prayer.

Right now I’m in a state of shock.  I can’t imagine never hearing that voice again.  But I am also happy for him; it is what he has wanted for a very long time.  And the past few months he’s told me he knew it wouldn't be long now.  I think he started to distance himself from me for that reason.

Please, if you can, make a donation to ctf.org (children’s tumor foundation) in his name.  And say a prayer for Ted Ptak, one of the bravest, strongest, kindest people I’ve had the pleasure to know.

This was Ted's favorite song.....now that he has wings, he can get there!
 BTW, the pic of us is eight years old....I've changed.