I am curious.....you all seem to be such great people. I'd like your views on this--My mom, was diabetic for quite some time, then stubbed her toe, got a major infection from it, ended up in the ER one day, and never walked out of the hospital. That was in April of 2001. Within one month, she endured spinal meningitis which was also detected in her brain, and somehow became quadriplegic. She had no brain damage from the meningitis, thank God, but was very sick, almost died. Well, for the next 3 years or so, she got COPD, had digestion problems and lots of bad days. She eventually regained the use of her arms/hands and was ale to feed herself, and most days had a great sense of humor, it was like having my mom back, only she was in a nursing home the whole time. Well, eventually her kidneys failed, and dialysis was no longer working. She got progressively worse over a month, and told the nurse one day, "I'm gonna die today". That night, my sisters, aunt and I were all there, and we just knew the end was very close. On January 23, 2004, 3 days before my birthday, I watched my mom take her last breaths. So, on that day, I lost my mom who was also my very best friend. She was only 54!! This Thanksgiving this year falls right on her birthday, and I am soooooooo sad, don't know how to handle this. I am still having a very hard time accepting her death, and don't have the most sympathetic hubby in the world. Have any of you ever had a hard time with a loved one dying,,,,,and if so, how do you deal with it? Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you guys!!!!!