Monday 13 October 2014

Strange Goings-on at the Crem

We recently attended a close friend's funeral at our local crematorium on Friday 10th October.  This dear friend from my bowls club was only 69 and this time last year was relatively healthy but had been diagnosed with Leukaemia after going for a routine blood test.  His life had been turned upside down needless to say.  In the marriage there was only him and his wife both devoted to each other unable to have children they had built up a great marriage of some 45 years so to discover this potentially life-threatening illness had devasted them both. 

Regardless of this they carried on their life as normally as was possible.  However after 2 doses of chemo, the 3rd proved the final one since it caused him to have a stroke followed by a heart attack with him being resuscitated 3 times.  No more chemo thus the leukaemia was terminal & un-treatable resulting in his death on 24th Sept.  We attended the funeral with a guard of honour being provided by fellow members of the bowls club.  However half way through the ceremony, a congregation member was himself taken ill thus resulting in the service being called to a halt for some 15 - 20 minutes.  The grieving widow had no choice but to continue sitting in the front row with her husband's coffin ahead whilst the said poorly member was being administed to by others in the congregation.  The person had partially collapsed and was being treated on the floor.  An ambulance and para-medic had to be called and all the while we had to wait in relative silence whilst this was going on.  Eventually the poorly person was placed on a chair and taken outside by other congregation members to await the ambulance. 

It was such a surreal experience all this going on and all the while sitting there staring at the coffin awaiting his committal.  A strange phenomena one hopefully never to be repeated but reminded oneself how fragile our life can be and how it hangs in the balance over which we have very little control if our health gives out.

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