Hospice

(Note:  This was written December 28.  We did not have internet access in paradise.  Oh well.  Tells you something about the internet, eh?)

My friend Eleanor had a nephew who was dying of cancer or leukemia.  He has made quite a bit of money in his life, and wanted to die comfortably, but not in a hospital.  Eleanor emailed her friends and asked for nice hotels in Seattle.  One of the things about living in a town is that you never stay in the hotels.  I did a google search, and recommended the Fairmont, amoung other places.  He went there, looked out over the Puget Sound for a few days, and then died.  Hospice nurses came in and out.  Both the hospice nurses and the Fairmont staff were familiar with the process.  I guess her nephew wasn't the first person to decide to skip the ICU and got to a luxury hotel.

If I am ever diagnosed with a terminal illness and I have a short time left, I want to spend it here.  This is the nicest hotel room I have ever stayed in.  This place is so nice, I don’t feel staying in the room.  The view is better here than other places.  This is an apartment with a kitchen, so we are going to cook diner in tonight.  Nothing fancy – some noodles with red sauce, bread and salad.

Remarkable Mountains in the background.  Lake Wakatipu in the front.

They filmed parts of Isengard from Lord of the Rings out here.