My 41-year-old nephew died suddenly yesterday.
Tom was a firefighter and paramedic in a Chicago suburb. He had been married for 14 years and had a 13-year-old son, as well as four grown stepchildren.
He had some sort of fall at home, I still don't know the details. But he hit his head on something and had a big gash from it. His wife tried to get him to go to the ER, but he refused. That happened on Thursday.
Yesterday, he collapsed at home. His wife called the ambulance. His heart stopped while the paramedics were there, but they brought him back. At the hospital, a trauma surgeon determined that it was a massive TBI and that he'd suffered a serious brain bleed and he wouldn't survive.
His wife, son, parents and one of his two sisters were with him when they shut off whatever life supports they had put him on. The mayor of the town he worked for, his fire chief and many of his fellow firefighters also were on hand. The support was amazing.
This is devastating because it was so unexpected and so fast. He had survived cancer 13 years ago with no recurrence. He was strong, he was healthy, he had years ahead of him.
I last saw him three weeks ago tonight. We talked about the future. Now he has none. Thanks for listening.
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I have to wonder if his refusal to get what he needed wasn't caused in part by the head injury itself. 
So very sorry for your family's loss. May you find comfort in your love and support of one another.
So saddened to learn of your tragic loss.
Healing vibes on the way to you & your family. 💓💓💓
And that might be a good thing. Jury is still out on that here, years later.
My heart just aches for you & your family, especially his son. 
Please remember to eat, sleep, and do some deep breathing to stay centered.
I'm here if you want to chat.
wife, you, the entire family …. Wow, life is so fleeting…
You will all be in my prayers
Thank you for bringing this up!
His wife did the best she could at the timd with the information she had.
This will go a long way towards avoiding survivor's guilt.
Ty! 
But he kept insisting that he would be fine. When the time is right, I'll suggest grief counseling. Thanks.
It's important for him to grasp that mom made every effort, too.
What a sudden blow for all of you. No wonder you are in a state of unbelief.
sympathy to you and the family. May the love and support of family and friends comfort you and May the memories of your nephew and the stories you will all tell keep him alive in your heart .
Just seeing this. So sorry to hear this and it is so tragic. Am sending my condolences to his family.
The fact it was so sudden makes it harder to deal with. And he was so young.
So sad to hear.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I hope you know that lots of us here are sharing your grief. What with COVID and the advancing years, almost every one of us has been touched by sorrow and loss. So we can empathize as well as sympathize. You won't be mourning alone.
I'm sorry about your friend. The moral of the story is don't screw around with head injuries.
