“Can you please let me go?”
She pleaded with tears in her eyes
Her daughter was turning 16
And she needed to be there
Her body was completely swollen
Barely able to stand let alone walk
Her cheeks were sunken
Her eyes jaundiced
She was dying and knew as much
But she wanted to savor the last moments
With her daughter and family
Not in a hospital room surrounded by strangers
She did leave
And never came back
I hope she made it for her daughter’s birthday
And I hope that she’s finally at peace
Latha Achanta M.D., M.P.H., FACP, is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine.
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