A very present help

Around Thanksgiving one year, I met Mary (not her real name). Mary was a young single mother dying from cancer.

Mary lived alone and required extra caregivers. Typically, I visited her in the middle of the day while her children attended school, and we mostly watched TV in her bedroom. She ate little, but occasionally enjoyed popsicles or a cool drink.

She slept a lot, and I was merely present for whatever need should arise.