Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Last Breath

The incessant beep of the blood-oxygen sensor overcame the feeble voice I heard on the other end of the phone. A feeling of dread swept over me and I realized that a world made smaller by our ever present communications devices was still very, very vast indeed. I was listening to the electronic sounds of my uncle's last breath, amplified in its clinical detachment and digital certainty.

A valiant battle was coming to an end, and I was hearing it unfold in real time. This was the ultimate reality show, and I had front row seats to it. It made me really, really angry. It was about 9:30 AM on Thursday, June 26th 2008.

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