Friday, May 10, 2013

Sister Visits


Beverly Lassiter
On February 10, 2013, I lost my kind, gentle sister, Jennean. She was the second eldest of the five girls known in our community as the "five Pellett Sisters.” (We lost our oldest sister, Barbara, in 1998.)

Jennean was diagnosed last May with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was time for a "sister visit", so off went the three of us to Dallas just as she was being released from assisted care. We picked her up, and checked into our hotel room. During the week of our visit, we managed to pursue many of our favorite sister activities. On reflection, this time together is so very precious for we did not know that it would be our last. Why did I not recognize His gift to us?

Jennean received chemotherapy throughout the summer months to keep the cancer in check. However, in November much to the surprise of her oncologist, a tumor was detected in her throat. The mass was removed. Tests indicated the cancer had not moved to other parts of her body. She then began her second series of chemo treatment in December as a safety measure. However, the therapy was discontinued during her second treatment due to her compromised condition. More time was needed to rebuild her strength.

By the end of December, we decided it was time to plan a surprise “sister visit"--- this time to celebrate her birthday on February 4.

On January 17, Jennean had to return to the hospital. We talked to her many times while she was hospitalized but managed to keep our visit a secret.

On February 1, we sisters arrived in Dallas and went straight to the hospital. As we approached the room, we encountered her doctor. He gave us an update on her situation. He told us that they still did not know the reason for her deteriorating condition, but confirmed emphatically that it was not the cancer. He said it might be some type of infection and was still running tests to determine the cause.

As we entered her room, we could see Jennean’s sweet face light up, but she was much too weak to speak. That night we had the chance to hug her, to feed her, and to talk to her about trivial sister things and family news. She knew we were there to celebrate her birthday, and we stayed late into the night.

By the time we arrived the following morning, our sweet sister had slipped into a coma, never to return. We laid her to rest on February 15.

The weeks following were a blur of emotion. Then at a church service one Sunday Rev’d Sarah made an announcement. She was encouraging members to share a personal experience in their life that magnifies the living Lord. It made me stop and think. I suddenly realized that God’s amazing grace had been bestowed upon my family ---not once, but twice as we made our "sister visits." He had given us the miraculous blessing of being able to say goodbye one last time.

Often times when you are in the midst of losing a loved one, it is hard to get past the emotions of sadness to recognize the gentle hand of the Lord at work.

No comments:

Post a Comment