Yesterday I was away from my phone for awhile

and when I returned, I had a text message saying a close relative was on life support. Another family member had called, asking for an update, and another e-mailed. I called the her husband, who texted me, got some details, and put my laundry that I had been doing at my friends' house, which was still damp or wet, into the car and went over to the University of Kentucky, to one of the ICUs in the hospital there for a couple of hours. I won't go into the particulars, but my family member is very, very sick. Today she is at least awake, although unable to talk due to the variety of tubes, including a ventilator, but is breathing on her own as well and hopefully will be off it soon. So there has been some improvement. But she'd still in pretty bad shape, and it was sad to watch her trying to communicate without being able to. I went over after work, getting caught in a traffic snarl when a procession for a paramedic from a local community who had been struck by a vehicle while on duty last week, and who has since died, was held to carry his body home, which I thought was a very sweet and moving thing to do, so it didn't matter to me that it took me 20 minutes to go one block to get to the hospital parking structure. I stayed till about 7, grabbing some food at the hospital cafeteria with her husband and stepson before I left. Then I came home and updated some other family members and spent awhile on the phone with YKWIA about what was going on. Anyway, it's been a rough couple of days, particularly for her.

Tomorrow evening I get a physical therapy evaluation for my neck and back, and there's appointments after work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to take a friend to. I'm also trying to get ready for my Chicago trip next week, and working on that job application. Tomorrow I'm in scheduling for the morning and have a webconference for a meeting of a professional organisaton, the Kentucky Medical Library Association, in the afternoon, and then there's PT, so I'll most likely not be able to go visit after then. But her husband said he'd keep me posted.

I think I'll go do some reading and maybe listen to some music and wind down for the night. Tomorrow morning is an early day at work, so I'll turn in pretty soon. Good night.