Robbie Lea Brown

Robbie Lea Brown
Tribute

My name is Ricky, my mother whose name was Robbie, is someone I would describe as a person of strong will and a survivor.

She survived an impoverished childhood growing up in the rural hills of Arkansas. She survived abusive and unhappy marriages, and the sudden early death of her 25-year-old daughter, my sister. (She was 12 years older than me.) She raised four grandchildren (my brother and sister’s children) from infanthood. She endured the pain of arthritis in her back while in her late 40s.

She also survived a massive stroke to the left side of her brain at age 63. She survived this, but it took away her ability to speak for the rest of her life. The stroke was a survival with a tragic price.

But she could not survive sepsis that came about from a simple UTI. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections) Mom had lived an almost reclusive life since recovering from that stroke since 1998, accepting but uncomfortable with her new ‘normal’ of not being able to speak. She treasured her privacy and visits were kept short. It saddened us, especially me and her sister, that gone were the conversations we all so much enjoyed. But mom went on and enjoyed some outings here and there. Her health was amazingly good for someone going on 80 and who had survived such a horrific stroke. Until February 3, 2015 when she fell due to an undiagnosed UTI.

She was rushed to the ER and admitted, suffered no broken bones, given antibiotics and sent to a nursing home to recover. In two months she was seemingly back to herself. Then 13 months later, suffering another UTI, she had fallen again. She was taken to the ER with extremely low blood pressure and damaged kidneys. By 6 pm her organs were shutting down and by 10 pm, her kidneys had failed completely.

She was already in septic shock and we were told there was no saving her life. I was in total shock emotionally when the doctor told me this. “Your mother’s organs are shutting down and you better come see her now.” Shattered, I chose to not go. I could not endure that last image of her suffering. I wanted the last one I had of her and I visiting, alone at her apartment. As I left I hugged her, she lay her head on my shoulder, rubbed my forearm and wept lightly. As though to say I love you, good-bye.

I told her I loved her and would be back for her birthday on May 28th. I left that day with a sad heart, not knowing why. I am not not much of a hugger, but with bittersweet memories, I am glad I did, because at 4:53 am on the 24th of May, she gave up her battle.

I felt I lost her when she lost her speech. She was still mom, but changed and quiet. And after all she survived, I lost her forever from sepsis and septic shock, something I never heard of. It’s sad she could never speak again, yet she was here and I loved her. I miss her and it breaks my heart, as it does to the many here who lost their loved ones to this horrid illness.

Such treatable simple infections can overwhelm the system and forever take away your loved one. The death certificate states the cause of death septic shock due to urinary tract infection and though not immediate, it says the stroke played a role. It did indeed. She simply could not verbally convey something wasn’t right. Had she survived sepsis, I understand she would have had to endure a long and lingering death, very weakened. But I have to wonder if that UTI had been caught earlier, what might have been. She would have been 82. but just a few years more would have been nice.

Source: by Ricky Butler (Robbie's son)

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