Crow’s Feet Writing Prompt #59
Take the Right Steps Now for the Best End-of-Life Care
No one can know your wishes if you don’t express them.
I felt like I could die at any moment.
Sitting on an uncomfortable molded chair at the Honolulu airport, I waited for my flight home to a neighboring island. The quick day trip to finally meet my allergist couldn’t be canceled.
Chest pain had taken me down a few months earlier, initiated by a co-occurring fire ant bite and smoke alarm blast just before dawn. I needed an Epi-Pen (epinephrine autoinjector)—the sharp needle-tipped device used as an emergency treatment for anaphylaxis.
I looked suspiciously at anyone who came near. They may have it. How could I know?
It was early COVID-19 days, before lockdowns and mask mandates. Still, people—even ones much younger than I, were being put on ventilators left and right. I looked at the extra ten pounds around my belly and could only think, “Another risk factor.”
The possibility of catching the new virus had caused me to tighten in terror. But I felt clear on one point. I sure as hell didn’t want to be put on a ventilator.
