Sad Call from a Friend and Former Coworker

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When I got home from work last night there was a message on my voice mail from a friend whom I hadn't heard from in a long time. Her voice was a bit shaky and she was breathing a bit roughly. She told me that her husband had passed away on Friday. What a shock. I didn't even know he was sick. I sat in shock for about an hour before I called her back. The phone rang 3 times before she picked up the receiver. My voice quaked as I said hello to her. Her voice did the same. I told her that I wasn't sure what to say, but had to call. She told me that her husband had been ill since March. He was in a lot of pain. He told her at the time that he thought he had cancer. Because he has liver problems, that is what the hospitals focused on rather than seeking out other problems that could be going on with him. His illness took a toll on him. He was in three different hospitals and each one said it was his liver. He was even being readied to go to another hospital to await a liver transplant. The trip never happened. The results from a test showed that there was cancer present in his body. They didn't know where it was. Two days later, he died. I listened to her tell of his final days. She was looking at photos of him and trying to pick out ones she will use at his memorial service. I was blatting in her ear. I asked her if she was sure she wanted me to continue consoling her. We both laughed at that comment. We continued to talk for about an hour and said that we really needed to get together. In the past whenever we talked we promised that we would get together and it never happened. We both now know that it will happen soon. Life is precious. Live it as if each day is your last. Hold dear those that you love and tell them you love them. Big huggers to you.