General Chat

Oh Sylvia what a hard life your friend had, and how sad that she lost those she loved

I hadn't seen Barry for a while. I think it was the last school reunion which was a few years ago now. From what I have gathered from his brother's comments and things his daughter put on fb, he had suffered badly for some time, and also had been poorly treated by the doctors or hospital by being refused scans etc He died in our local hospice where my Dad died. I hope they looked after him as well as they did my Dad but it's awful that his treatment wasn't as good as it could have been earlier on, he might still be with us had his symptoms been checked out sooner.

I know if we do get round to another reunion he will be sadly missed as will others no longer with us.

Lizxx

Liz, I too know how you feel. xxxx

I also had a friend I met at age 11, on the first day at the high school.

Her mother eventually regarded me as her "other" daughter

We kept in touch through all the years, even after she moved to Australia.

She actually had a very hard life.

Sh married twice .......... first husband was physically abusive. Her first child was born with a heart problem and died at 4 months. Her son was born with a mild form of cerebral palsy, and later developed a benign but continually growing tumour behind his eye. Her 3 rd child was completely healthy ..... but died at the age of 28 from a deep vein thrombosis.

She married again ........ a much older man, but he was really good to her. Thye built a house together on 8 hectares in the countryside, and ran a small holding But he became ill, and then literally dropped dead. She developed Parkinson's, and then her son died.

I/we stayed with her in 1975/76, 1985, in 2000 and 2006 ..... every time, it was as we had never been apart!

Her sister eventually persuaded her to move to Northern Ireland to live with her .............. B was bedridden after arriving in Ireland, and died suddenly in January 2013.


She was never a very prolific letter writer .......... once a year if I was lucky ............ but then neither am I :-) . We did phone regularly, especially in the 2000s.

I still think of things to tell her :-(

Thanks, I contacted another friend who knew Barry well and wouldn't you know it, she has to get her husband into hospital the morning of the funeral for a knee replacement op, which has already been postponed three times since September.

Lizxx

I met up with my old school friend I had lost touch with her for thirty years then in 2006 when I got my laptop I found her through her DIL We had a very special relationship and would ring each other up every day with news, then in 2011 I had the news that she had bone cancer she died in jan 2012. I still miss her phone calls and her bits of news, but I know shes not in pain now.

So Liz I know how you are feeling and I am thinking of you xx

sending (((((hugs))))) Liz.

Strange.
My sister looked up an old boyfriend, from her early teens, on FB.
she couldn't quite believe it, but he died of mesothelioma aged 58.


My sister's husband died of the same disease when he was 56.

Thats very sad Liz

Brings you up with a start too when you realise old friends are passing

I found my old friend on Friends about 10 years ago and we are in constant contact, she has been through the mill with health problems in the last few years and I worry about her. I cant imagine losing my old best friend from school

I found out yesterday that an old school friend who I have known since I was 11 but had lost touch with over the past 5 years, died the day after Elaine, Flying Doctor. It was a few days before his 68th birthday. His funeral is on Weds, at the same time as Elaine's. It's way out in the sticks so I won't be going altho his brother said it would be nice if I could make it. I know his brother too who moved to Australia, and made contact with him on fb. He is now in the U.K. so I hope he was here with his brother at the end. Being on his fb page gave me the chance to see pictures of Barry's family now grown up, in fact he was a Great Grandad! To see some of the last photos of my friend was harrowing, he had lost an eye and had a wicked black patch, but looked so old and frail at the end, laying in bed with his baby gtgrandson next to him, just a few months old(born just before Christmas)

Barry had five children and other grandchildren, so lots to live for. He and his family planted up a white garden while he was ill, he hoped to get to Sissinghurst before he died but now I am sure he can see it anyway.

I am not looking for sympathy , just feeling sad that so many of my old school pals are no longer with us.

Lizxx