Last image of me with my husband and his mom, Dorine, age 83, before she stopped kidney dialysis.
My mother-in-law of more than 30 years suffered kidney failure secondary to diabetes. She reluctantly agreed to start dialysis about 7 months ago but she hated every treatment. Shortly after this photo was taken, she gathered us together and announced that she was stopping dialysis, and she knew fully what that meant. In her words, “Lights out.†We put her in in-home hospice and spent two weeks by her side until, with all of her loved ones holding hands around her, she drew her last breath. I miss her. I loved her. What else can anyone say?