Yes! I learned this last year when I had a near death experience in an ambulance on the way to Coimbra hospital. I had sepsis and multiple organ failure. I was in the hospital for weeks and recovering at home for months. I'm always the giver, but I hardly knew my own name during that time. To make it worse, while I was in the hospital, my father died. I was at the lowest point of my life. Then a truly amazing thing happened and I can't even write about it without crying. Suddenly, people from all over the world who I'd known for five weeks or nearly 70 years were rallying around me. They sent words of encouragement. My children set up at GoFundMe to help with expenses I would have home recovery and to help Craig's transportation costs (about 50 euros per day) for him to come see me at the hospital. It was my night when they told me about the fund and when I woke up, there was over $4000 dollars in it! I called my son and said, "Shut it down! It's enough! Tell them just to send me messages." The money was a blessing but the messages that came with it. "Back in fourth grade when I was the new girl, I was so scared but this pretty little girl came up to me, swooped me into her friend group and made me feel welcome." "When I ran away from home as a teen, you took me in and made me your foster daughter, even though you were so young yourself with a new baby. You taught me what a mother could be and every day of my life I've tried to be like you." On and on it went, washing over me like healing light. And the people on the ground? There was no need, no desire that they did not fulfill. All my Portuguese friends took care of everything and put themselves on rotation so I'd have a visitor every day at the hospital and God help the staff if my friends didn't like the care I was getting. I let them because I had no choice. I had no fight in me. But letting them was a huge lesson for me. Had I been holding off all of these blessings all of these years? "Nope! I've got this, but thanks!" That's what the old me said. The new me alive, well and healthier than ever says, "You know what? That would be amazing. I sure appreciate your help."
WOW. Cynthia, I had no idea! How did I miss all of this?? I'm so glad you are better and know that you are soooo loved. You are excused from this week's homework. You did extra credit already. xoxo
I didn't post much, of course, and I had Post Sepsis Syndrome with cognitive problems until quite recently. I was very fragile, but I'd say my cognition is at 95% now. I still have very few memories from August 2025 until February 2025. Good news, is I guess the nearly dying diet worked. :D
Oh, I forgot to mention, my Norwegian daughter flew down from Oslo immediately and helped Craig and watched over me at the hospital. After she left, one of my very best friends, a Belfast nurse, flew down and helped take care of me when I was home. Amazing! When I was in that ambulance from Leiria Hospital to Coimbra, I knew I was dying. They sent a doctor and two nurses for the journey and they don't do that if it's just transportation. They were jabbering and doing stuff, but I was really at peace. No movie of my life, no hell coming to get me, no Jesus, none of that. Just this intense peace and the feeling that I didn't regret a thing. I knew that not once in 68 year had I purposely hurt anyone or done evil. Mistakes, oh yes, but every mistake led to something even better and I knew that. After lying there basking in no regrets and being satisfied with my legacy, I started to feel the tremendous outpouring of love for me from all over the world. I lay there and thought, "I did my very best and I am beloved and it doesn't get better than that." But I'm so very thankful I survived. I want to contribute more, finish projects, live to 100 and go to the moon.
Yes! I learned this last year when I had a near death experience in an ambulance on the way to Coimbra hospital. I had sepsis and multiple organ failure. I was in the hospital for weeks and recovering at home for months. I'm always the giver, but I hardly knew my own name during that time. To make it worse, while I was in the hospital, my father died. I was at the lowest point of my life. Then a truly amazing thing happened and I can't even write about it without crying. Suddenly, people from all over the world who I'd known for five weeks or nearly 70 years were rallying around me. They sent words of encouragement. My children set up at GoFundMe to help with expenses I would have home recovery and to help Craig's transportation costs (about 50 euros per day) for him to come see me at the hospital. It was my night when they told me about the fund and when I woke up, there was over $4000 dollars in it! I called my son and said, "Shut it down! It's enough! Tell them just to send me messages." The money was a blessing but the messages that came with it. "Back in fourth grade when I was the new girl, I was so scared but this pretty little girl came up to me, swooped me into her friend group and made me feel welcome." "When I ran away from home as a teen, you took me in and made me your foster daughter, even though you were so young yourself with a new baby. You taught me what a mother could be and every day of my life I've tried to be like you." On and on it went, washing over me like healing light. And the people on the ground? There was no need, no desire that they did not fulfill. All my Portuguese friends took care of everything and put themselves on rotation so I'd have a visitor every day at the hospital and God help the staff if my friends didn't like the care I was getting. I let them because I had no choice. I had no fight in me. But letting them was a huge lesson for me. Had I been holding off all of these blessings all of these years? "Nope! I've got this, but thanks!" That's what the old me said. The new me alive, well and healthier than ever says, "You know what? That would be amazing. I sure appreciate your help."
WOW. Cynthia, I had no idea! How did I miss all of this?? I'm so glad you are better and know that you are soooo loved. You are excused from this week's homework. You did extra credit already. xoxo
I didn't post much, of course, and I had Post Sepsis Syndrome with cognitive problems until quite recently. I was very fragile, but I'd say my cognition is at 95% now. I still have very few memories from August 2025 until February 2025. Good news, is I guess the nearly dying diet worked. :D
Oh, I forgot to mention, my Norwegian daughter flew down from Oslo immediately and helped Craig and watched over me at the hospital. After she left, one of my very best friends, a Belfast nurse, flew down and helped take care of me when I was home. Amazing! When I was in that ambulance from Leiria Hospital to Coimbra, I knew I was dying. They sent a doctor and two nurses for the journey and they don't do that if it's just transportation. They were jabbering and doing stuff, but I was really at peace. No movie of my life, no hell coming to get me, no Jesus, none of that. Just this intense peace and the feeling that I didn't regret a thing. I knew that not once in 68 year had I purposely hurt anyone or done evil. Mistakes, oh yes, but every mistake led to something even better and I knew that. After lying there basking in no regrets and being satisfied with my legacy, I started to feel the tremendous outpouring of love for me from all over the world. I lay there and thought, "I did my very best and I am beloved and it doesn't get better than that." But I'm so very thankful I survived. I want to contribute more, finish projects, live to 100 and go to the moon.