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Enjoying the evening sun
Olaf thoroughly enjoys the time he is given. “He sailed his sailboat and we built our house. We did everything ourselves. From braiding the steel to laying the roof tiles. When we were still cold on the roof at seven in the evening, he ordered me to crawl up the hills. He took me in his long arms and we warmed ourselves in the sun Late evening.
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Petra doesn’t know any better that Olaf is undergoing post-op surgery. “But at some point, the doctor said he would no longer perform life-prolonging operations, only life-saving operations.” In February, his health suddenly deteriorated sharply. “He had too much fluid and too little air in his lungs.”
On holiday to Samos
But the fire in her husband does not go out. Olaf is organizing a youth ski trip to Norway and in May he will go on holiday to the Greek island of Samos with Petra. “We had a lot of fun with him, but when we were lying on the beach I saw a bulge near his navel. He couldn’t lose his fluids properly anymore.
She continues: “That night I woke up around five in the morning. Olaf shook and lay still in bed. He wasn’t breathing and had no heartbeat, so I started CPR. He started to sigh a little. She ran downstairs, shouted for the hotel owner to call 911, then ran back and continued CPR. The ambulance arrived within eleven minutes. “An AED was electrocuted eight times, but after that it always collapsed.”
Grief expert Animek Dogan: “Many do not want to bother others with their pain. I say: Take this space.”
Ambulance
He has to go to the hospital urgently. “I ran after the ambulance, but on the way I stopped and called a friend. I said: ‘I’m afraid he will be dead when I get to the hospital.’”
Once at the hospital, Olaf appears to be undergoing cardiac monitoring. Once a bed is available in the ICU, he will be transferred there. “I sat in the hallway and prayed. When the ICU bed arrived, I saw Olaf being resuscitated by a man in a green suit. The room was very crowded for twenty minutes and then the man came out sweating. ‘He’s dead,’ I was told.
Going home alone
She’s not allowed to go to him, but she does it anyway. “I kissed him and stroked his hair.” After that it goes quickly. “The sister asked me to sign a form and got his wedding ring. Half a day later I went home alone.
These months have been difficult for Petra. “I’m exhausted. Things had to be sorted out, his boat was up for sale and he didn’t have life insurance because he had a genetic condition. I’m tired, but I have two weeks off for Christmas. Which I’m looking forward to. Life will unfold again, but the void will remain.” Since it was, there was only one person and I am grateful for the time we had together.
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