Father’s Day weekend began with the paramedics in our living room. I knew something was off when my 80-something dad walked in the door confused, disoriented, and vomiting. He spent five days in the hospital with what was diagnosed as sepsis, but I was thankful we caught it early enough that he could return home to my 70-something mother, who was understandably distraught and reeling from the whole ordeal.

That was one of the first blows in what turned out to be a brutal summer. It still feels like I’m coming up for air. A planned surgery for our son on June 13 was quickly followed by the double-whammy of my dad and mother-in-law both ending up in the hospital the same weekend. Like so many other people in the sandwich generation, my husband and I toggle between advocating for our aging parents and focusing on our kids. We plan for worst-case scenarios, hope for optimal outcomes, and carve out as much quality time as we can for each other. We know that time is fleeting.

Read more at: https://livingwithamplitude.com/amputee-grief-processing-after-limb-loss/