My aunt has passed away. After the second surgery for the new clot in her brain, her condition worsened. We weren't getting any reactions from her, no squeezing of our hands. While they were able to dissolve some of the clot, the anti-coagulant that they had to give her caused bleeding. They were having to control her blood pressure through medicine, and she wasn't able to breathe on her own anymore. The doctors told us that she'd had a lot of damage to the brain, that they couldn't do anything else (except another surgery, which they weren't sure she'd survive), and that she likely wouldn't wake up. This was such a horrible shock, coming directly after our increased hope in believing that she would regain consciousness and slowly improve.

My uncle was faced with the devastating decision between keeping her alive artificially and removing her from the machine to see if she could make it - knowing how small the chance was. He chose to take her off the machine, and we left it up to God...He would either grant us the miracle of her recovery or take her to an ultimate rest. My family told my uncle that we would support him in whatever he wished to do...and I truly believe he did the right thing. He and his sons knew that she couldn't be the same again, and that it wasn't fair to keep her in the condition she was in. As my uncle recognized, she simply wasn't "there" anymore. Now I take comfort in knowing she's at peace. I appreciate all of your support and prayers, and I ask now that you pray for my uncle and two cousins in this difficult time.

And if I may, I'll share some thoughts...

- Practically speaking, we've all agreed on the wisdom in writing a living will or expressing your wishes otherwise to your family. God forbid a similar situation happens to anyone, but the sad truth is that it's a possibility - something we never considered. My uncle and cousins had to make a decision based on what they thought was best for my aunt, but the emotional heartache it caused was terrible to see.

- I haven't been ignorant of all the tragedies that happen in the world, but this is the closest I've ever been to one in personal experience, and I've had several moments of being really angry about how unfair life can be. My uncle and cousins are such good people, that I really don't understand how this could happen to them. And even when bad things happen, there's sometimes at least something you can figure out or gain from it - but what we all keep coming back to with this is that it just doesn't make sense. I'm choosing the path of hope, though...I still believe in the power of good, of prayer, and of faith. And I'm keeping hope that my dear family members will make it through, and that someday they'll be reunited with their loved one.

- Life is short. You never know when you'll lose someone. You never know when it will be the last time that you speak to someone or see someone. From this, we should not choose to live in fear and worry, but rather to live better, and happily. These reminders come about every so often, but this one will leave a long-lasting impression on me, and I'd like for it to be a reminder to you all, also. Share your feelings with your loved ones, hug them, kiss them, and just enjoy being with them. None of us know how long we'll be here and together, but let's make the best of it.