To the Editor:

On Saturday, Feb. 1, my wife, Sandra W Smith, had a stroke. She received excellent care at Southern Ocean Medical Center. However, the stroke proved to be terminal.

On Tuesday, Sandy was sent home to die. This was a devastating event for me and our family. I knew that Sandy wanted to make her transition at home surrounded by her family and her birds. But this was also very unfamiliar territory for us. We were walking into a dark cave with no map and no light.

March 5, 2025