"My Brother"

My brother George was airlifted from Wick hospital in Caithness to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Ward 103 on a Saturday early September.  I am George's sister and next of kin. and I arrived from High Wycombe on the Monday to be with him. He was really quite poorly  and was having an intravenous infusion of a diuretic. It was clear that he would not be well enough to have an aortic valve replacement scheduled for the Tuesday. So the hope was he would be well enough for the operation to be carried out on the Friday. Unfortunately he contracted a chest infection on the Wednesday which was treated with antibiotics. 

He knew himself that he was not going to be well enough to have the op. on Friday and that he was dying. We talked about the form his funeral service would take. The readings, and hymns and who would speak at his funeral. 

He mentioned what a wonderful service the NHS was and how well he had been looked after by the GP practices in Castletown and Wick. He also talked highly of  the NHS care home Pulteney House where he was resident. 

He had nothing but praise for the nurses and doctors who made his final  days in Ward 103 very comfortable. They were also very kind to me and I was able to stay overnight on the Friday so i could be near . He passed away peacefully in his sleep at 7 am the following Saturday.

Thanks go to everyone who helped George on his final journey .