{"id":2136,"date":"2014-03-04T08:00:50","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jonandlayne.com\/?p=2136"},"modified":"2014-03-04T08:05:07","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T15:05:07","slug":"pausing-for-a-breath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jonandlayne.com\/pausing-for-a-breath\/","title":{"rendered":"Pausing for a Breath"},"content":{"rendered":"
A Jon<\/span><\/em>\u00a0Post<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Casa Ahav\u00e1\u2019s first patient has left.
\nZakarias arrived for the first time in April of last year. He spent 6 months in Casa Ahav\u00e1 and then returned to his home in Beira. As many of you have read here <\/a>and here<\/a>, he came back in January and spent another month in Casa Ahav\u00e1 with his wife and daughter.
\nAfter meeting with his oncologist, we received a final, though not unexpected, response from the oncology ward.
\nHis cancer is untreatable.
\nTerminal.
\nFatal.
\nSo he went home.
\nWe spent many of those days while he was here in January and February talking about how he could prepare his life for its end. We visited multiple government offices to arrange for his veteran\u2019s pension and social security payments to continue to support his young wife and children.
\nAnd he went home.
\nA wonderful doctor in the hospital\u2019s pain management unit prescribed some medicine that has helped him tremendously. His pain levels are much decreased and his sleep time is much more peaceful.
\nSo grows his cancer.
\nSo creeps towards its glory, the spirit of Papa Zakarias.
\nUpon arriving home, he promptly sent someone to find out information on Filomena. As we mentioned here<\/a>, we have been unable to contact her.
\nA neighbor had the news.
\nShe died. Two weeks ago.<\/p>\n