We were due to write you on Wednesday but things progressed rapidly to a very unstable condition. On Wednesday night we didn't leave the hospital until 11 pm, and had to return 4 hours later.
At this point Michael was requiring full ventilation support again which means he was no longer breathing on his own and was suffering from numerous complications. The decision was made to sedate him in order to keep him comfortable. The ICU at Toronto General left no stone unturned. They used every available medical option to stabilize and improve his condition.
We typically associate bravery with valiant efforts on the battlefield but in Michael's case the fight was fought from a hospital bed. He was the bravest man, fighting every complication that arose so that he could return to his family.
On Friday February 6th with his family surroundng him, we all accepted that the struggle was too much. We encouraged Michael to make his own decision so that the doctors and machinery didn't have to do it for him.
He received the Final Anointing and we sang his favourite hymns. Steph and Kate sang Hansel and Gretel's "Evening Prayer", Vaughn William's "God Bless the Master" and Glick's "Pslam 23". And of course, there was Bach.
Michael passed away in the afternoon. His remarkable bravery and love will impact us for the rest of our lives.
We are currently making funeral arrangements and we will post the details as soon as possible.
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2 comments:
My heart goes out to you and your family. We are out of the country and unable to be at the funeral. We send our love,
Riki Turofsky and Charles Petersen
Mike's Family
Mike was and is a great spirit. His subtle intelligence and wicked sense of humour will be fondly remembered and sadly missed. I loved working with him - he was so generous with his knowledge, his network and his vast resources. This blog is a small window into what manner of man he was.
I am so sorry to be saying good-bye to him this week. I am also deeply thankful to have the opportunity to meet his much-loved family. He was so proud, and so loving and so respectful when he mentioned you!
He is in my thoughts - my heart is feeling a bit tender right now.
Gail Johnson Morris
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