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Sunday, September 26, 2004

[Ross Barkman] Mike was feeling unwell most of the day; persistent coughing made him fairly weak, and he decided he probably had a chest infection.

Monday, September 27, 2004

[Ross Barkman] Joan called Mike's doctor in the morning, and he came before lunch. He was shocked at the deterioration in Mike's condition, and told him he needed hospital treatment for what appeared to be pneumonia. The doctor seemed pretty shaken by the turn of events, as he
has come to know Mike well.

Mike wasn't feeling good and readily agreed. He was admitted to Rotorua Hospital on Monday afternoon, and the staff began antibiotic treatment as well as continuing palliative care for the rest of his condition. He was put on oxygen to reduce the strain on his lungs. Joan and Jo took it in turns to sit with him.

I called Joan on Monday evening, and decided to bring forward my flight (which had already been brought forward from mid-October) in order to leave as soon as possible.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

[Ross Barkman] Mike's condition continued to deteriorate, despite the efforts of the hospital staff. Joan contacted my sister Sue, who had left late last week for a business trip to Montreal. She began efforts to arrange a speedy return. Joan stayed with Mike through the night. He was
conscious, but not particularly responsive.

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

[Ross Barkman] In the morning, the doctors decided that the infection in his lungs was actually a result of the cancer attacking the lung tissue, and antibiotic treatment was not going to be effective. They continued with relatively low levels of morphine, and drugs to reduce the amount of fluid in his lungs.

He stopped responding to Joan & Jo during the morning, but his breathing eased, and he appeared to be more comfortable.

I arrived at 2:30 PM - he looked very unwell, but was breathing regularly. Jo and Joan left to get some food and rest, and my partner Madeleine followed them later in the afternoon. He wasn't really responding to my voice, but his breathing would change a little if I said his name loudly; his eyes remained closed. My brother-in-law Jeremy arrived from Wellington at about 7:30 PM, and we sat and talked beside the bed.

Mike lay very still, and he did not appear to be in any discomfort or distress. At about 8:45 PM, we noticed that his breathing had slowed; the intervals were much longer, and I went to fetch the nurse. Mike died at 9:02 PM NZST - he simply faded away.

All his family and friends are very shocked at the speed of Mike's decline. He was unwell for the last month, but looked set for at least a few more weeks. However, we are consoling ourselves with the thought that this a far better ending for him than a slow & painful wasting away.

His funeral will be held at 11AM on Tuesday the 5th of October at Gray's in Rotorua. We will then take his ashes to Wanganui, where there will be a wake at 3PM on Friday the 8th at Dempsey & Forrest in Guyton St, followed by an interment alongside my mother Leola in Aramoho Cemetary.

Thank you from Joan and the family to everyone who has been following the events of the past 12 months or so through this blog and offered Mike so much support and comfort. Thanks also to the medical staff at Rotorua and Hamilton hospitals, who did their best to treat his condition and then to make him as comfortable as possible when treatment failed.

After the funeral, when I have a little more time and energy, I will post a final report and some personal commentary.

Thursday,

Friday,

Saturday,