My Brother Paul

My brother Paul died March 10, 2009 of Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), he was 54 years old. AMN is an incurable, x-chromosome linked disease that attacks the nervous system. This photo is from December when I went to NJ to visit him in his assisted living facility. He could no longer walk nor feed himself because his brain could not tell his muscles to move.

It was a long painful journey for him, and for those who watched helplessly as he suffered. I'd like to say I got something positive from this experience. Like belief in aphorisms, "live each day to its fullest" or "today is a gift that's why it's called 'the present'". But I did not come away with that, I just feel humble in the face of mortality.