Thank you everyone for all your help over the past few months. My Mom passed
away Friday night.

She was very bad two weeks ago, and the hospice PA didn't think she would
last the weekend, but she did. I flew in Saturday night, and thought she
wouldn't last 24 hours, but she did, so we thought she was holding on until
the Rabbi came to say the confessional prayer said when on one's deathbed
and to hear shofar which would happen Tuesday.

Mom held on, with better color and feeling much less 'icy' despite needing
more methadone, dilaudid, and ativan than before. Then we thought she was
waiting until my children flew in on Thursday. By then she could only
respond by a soft squeeze of the hand if you asked short and direct
questions. But she held on until Friday night. We all kept  telling her it
was enough. That she'd done her job and it was OK if she left us. Not to
sound 'mean,' but we told her everything short of , "just die already!" but
it was tearing at us to see her in so much pain, enduring the kind of end
she explicitly told us she didn't want (sleeping most of the time, in
obvious discomfort the rest).

She did not want to give in, even at the end. My older sister, with whom she
lived, was with her at the time. Mom had just been turned and the aide
didn't like the way mom was breathing, so went to get the nurse. My sister
said mom opened her eyes and tried to tell her something. My sister got so
upset that she got on the phone to us to say, "Get here now, " and by the
time she was off the phone (seconds) she realized mom hadn't taken another
breath. It was over.

Within Judaism, the date she passed is an auspicious one. Perhaps that was
what was being waited for. But whatever the reason, we are so grateful the
pain is now over.

Thank you all for your support and caring.