I wrote a post about 8 months ago about my brother who has MSA ( Multiple System Atrophy).
I arrived home yesterday from the UK after a 10 day trip to go and FINALLY see him. Due to covid we hadn't seen each other since the fall of 2019 - 2 years.
Such an emotional visit - it was absolutely horrifying to see what has happened to him in 2 years. We had long talks in the mornings his voice is too weak later in the day. We also went on lovely walks accompanied by the New Forest ponies and donkeys ! He now uses an electric scooter and can manage that still .
His home is lovely and he lives in a beautiful area and for that he is very thankful.
He is however absolutely beside himself with terror about the future. Being a Dr isn't really helpful as he knows all too well that there is so much deterioration ahead. It was hard for me to lift his spirits as I struggled too. We did manage a few laughs and he does realize how lucky he is to have such a great family and a treasure of a wife. His wife is unbelievable - she used to work at a hospice so is really in tune with things. They also have 5 children who are visiting as much as they can. She is taking him to France to see their daughter in two weeks which will be difficult to manage but she's up for it .
It was very hard to say goodbye yesterday . I plan to return either before Christmas or right after. My flights there and back were eerie - 51 people on the return trip and not many more going over. when i came out of JFK international arrivals it was empty , one limo driver , mine ! Heathrow at the gates for international departures was deserted, the regular flights from there to europe looked busy though.