Miracle Love Story

Headshot of Murray, a Caucasion man wearing bandana in a pattern of red, white, and blue and oxygen tubing.

All day yesterday Murray was struggling to breath. Amazingly, the struggle prompted him to get out of bed and into a wheelchair - he could breath easier sitting up. (He also took the opportunity to go outside in the sun - and smoke a quarter of a cigarette. His nurse came and his medications were uped. She also confirmed that air was moving in his lungs and his vitals were stable. 

Tammy was on her 4th day without food, 3rd without hydration. She was unresponsive all day and hadn't moved since the day before. I honestly thought that she was going to die the night before.

Around 4pm, their Westside Shelter doctor and case worker came to say "hi." They were happy to see Inhora and grateful that the spouses found a home with us.

Since a little after noon, Murray only awoke briefly with feeling short of breath and about every 2 hours. His oxygen machine stopped working so I put him on the reserve tank - then the next, then a previous Guest's, until the last tank in the house. All while waiting for the DME company to bring the STAT (rushed) oxygen machine, which arrived just in time despite calls from hospice and I. He was up to 15 liters a minute on the reserve tanks.

My family called for evening prayers at about 8:10pm, I muted the phone and went in to check on Murray. He was sitting on the side of the bed, having difficulty getting air. He wanted me to call the nurse and get him medications - then he passed out and fell sideways, almost out of bed. I was able to keep his upper body on the bed and he slipped to his knees, leaning over - like a child saying their evening prayers.

A held him, hugged him as his life slipped away. He stopped breathing, his pulse stopped, and he died leaning over like that with me embracing him from behind. His wife quiet and near death in the bed next to him. I told her what had happened and how much he loved her and that her coming to Inhora was the best thing that could have happened to him.

I called his nurse and she headed our way. I continued hugging him and kissing his head - amazed, surprised, honored.

The nurse came and while she was pronouncing him, she looked at his wife and noticed she was breathing "like a fish out of water" (not uncommon right before death). After a quick confirmation with her in the dining room, I went to see Tammy. She had breathed her last in that little time.

There they were: two people who had suffered much in the last few years but remained deeply in love, died within about an hour of each other on the same day, in the same room - in a loving home thanks to people like you.