52 Photos Week 16 Friendship
This is a picture of my Aunts, Jean and Jane. They are twins. They have done so many things together throughout their lives, and the stories that they have told me are hilarious.
My Aunt Jane worked for my Aunt Jean so she could go on a date. My Aunt Jean went on my Aunt Jane's date for her. They were identical twins and were inseparable most of their lives. That is, until my Aunt Jane moved to Florida. Even then, when something happened to one, the other one knew something was wrong.
This was the case on November 27, 2018, when my Aunt Jean had a very bad cold, and started having trouble breathing. We live in Illinois. She was transported to the local hospital, but before we could call my Aunt in Florida, she called us. She had a feeling there was something wrong with her twin.
Aunt Jean talked to her on the phone and reassured her that she was alright, and there was no reason for Aunt Jane to come home. Aunt Jean was in the hospital for a couple of weeks, but was home in good time for Christmas.
My usual very peppy Aunt Jean had lost a lot of her energy. She was very tired at Christmas and didn't feel up to cooking the family meal. Her daughters pitched in and fixed it for them. But I guess that was even too much for her, because shortly after Christmas she ended up back in the hospital.
As we were getting ready to call my Aunt Jane to let her know, she was picking up the phone to call home. She knew her twin was in trouble. She flew home to be with her. She stayed for a week, and was with her twin for 24/7. My aunt was released from the hospital, and her twin went to her house to wait on her. My Aunt Jean just wanted my Aunt Jane to hold her hand. Even in her sleep she called out for my Aunt Jane.
Aunt Jane flew back to Florida, because Aunt Jean seemed to be getting better. The picture that I shared was taken on Jan 23, 2019 before my aunt flew back to Florida.
Aunt Jean was making a come-back. Her energy level was high. The doctor had her on oxygen, and that was helping her breath.
Both of my aunts had started smoking when they were 16, so they had been smoking 67 years, and my Aunt Jean had always had a raspy voice with a cough. But since she was on oxygen, her voice was nice and clear.
She went for her Dr. visit and he told her that part of her problem was that she had COPD and her lungs were shot from smoking all of those years. She was supposed to stop smoking (which she didn't), and she was given medication.
My Aunt Jean's husband died many years ago, and she had a companion that took excellent care of her. In fact, he treated her like a queen. They had been together for 16 years. He was cooking all of the right foods for her, making sure she took her meds and keeping the family up to date on her condition. She was doing really good.
Then on February 14th, Valentine's day, she got sick again. She was congested and started having difficulties breathing again. Aunt Jane flew home. She was with Aunt Jean all of the time. Aunt Jean had double pneumonia. She had heart failure and they couldn't do anything to help her, so they sent her home. Aunt Jane was devastated. She didn't leave her twins side. Day and night she sat there and watched her wither into nothing, until Friday, Feb 22, 2019, when Aunt Jean died. Nothing could help Aunt Jane. She was inconsolable.
She had never been without her twin. They had been best friends, shared all of their thoughts and secrets through 83 years. They each had two other sisters and a brother that they loved, but their relationship was special, and now it was over.
I talked to my Aunt Jane, and she said she had never felt this way before. She had lost a husband and a grandson, but she said losing her twin was like losing the other half of her.
They were even in the same hospital in 1963 having children at the exact same time. My Aunt Jean had twins and my Aunt Jane had a daughter that had twins.
This was a true friendship that lasted 83 years, and like no other.
My Aunt Jean Bishir
My Aunt Jane Hand.