So here it is, late October, and I'm finally posting again. I have done some crazy things, seen some things I will never forget, and I think I'm finally able to write about some of it.
I dealt with my first infant. Sweet little
angel girl - about 10 mos old, I think. I haven't seen the death
certificate, so I'm not sure what her age was. She's too young to be in
EDRS so her death had to be recorded to the State by hand. Tragic
tragic story: Mom and Dad go out for a date, leaving Angel in Grandpa's
care. They return to find Angel dead, and Grandpa missing. Coroner
and Embalmer found puncture wounds on her lower back, and a deliberate
slice along the top of one buttock. She was also very bruised on her
upper back and buttocks. I don't know if Grandpa has been found yet or
not. Mom is not doing well - her daughter is dead and her father has disappeared. Dad is teetering on the edge of sanity - he's reportedly bashing
his head into walls, so he was all cut up and bruised at her funeral. I
couldn't watch the embalming nor the autopsy repair - apparently
infants are embalmed through the heart, and they place the heart on the
chest when they do it so it can be done properly. Boss Lady stayed back
there during the procedure. The next day, I helped Arranger CDC Angel
(cosmetize, dress and casket). Her casket was light pink, with a sweet
embroidered poem inside the lid. Parents sent a cute little pink
tights/purple tutu dress. Arranger did a fantastic job on her makeup.
She looked just like she was sleeping. It was one of the hardest things
I've ever done, but I made myself do it. If she were my baby, I would
want the last person to touch her to do so with gentle love and tender
care. So I did it for Angel's mom.
A few days later, I went to my brother's son's
birthday party (LOL - just ask if you don't understand). The following night, I dreamed about the party -
everything was the same, except I saw Angel playing in the bounce house
and running around the lawn with all the other kids. I knew it was her
from her hair and her outfit. I didn't interact with her in the dream, and I don't
remember a parent or anything, but she was all giggles and smiles. I
woke up being very glad that she was safe and happy.
A few days later, I definitely had my most disturbing day. I watched our Embalmer and our Driver piece together a man's head and sew it back on to his body. I thought Driver was going to pass out. He was doing the holding while Embalmer did the sewing. Embalmer had to mold wax to form the back of his head where the skull had been completely obliterated. Motorcycle accidents can do terrible things to the human form. And this guy wore his helmet. We tried to talk the family out of doing a viewing, but they really really wanted an ID viewing (no casket, minimal makeup, dressed from the chest up with a blanket, laying on a table). He died from blunt force trauma to the chest (no ribs were connected anymore and both arms had been shattered), so his whole upper body was like a cold gel-filled pouch after the embalming - arms and everything. It was starting to come out his pores, so everywhere the fabric touched him, it got damp and stuck. It was really gross. He looked much better than we thought he would turn out, but I nearly croaked when his sister flung herself on top of him, sobbing. He was icy cold and really squishy - I just feel so sad that her last memory of him is that.
And then there was Green Man. We had a gentleman who Embalmer worked on the day after he arrived in our care. Embalmer was NOT pleased with his state - not sure how long he had been dead nor where he had been between the time he died and the time we got him. Embalmer did the best he could, but said it was like embalming tofu. Fast forward a few days - we pull him out so embalmer can CDC him. Embalmer pulls back the sheet and I see the creepiest thing I've ever seen in my life. He was a zombie. Green, dark green, bright green . . . every shade of green you could imagine. Pretty amazing for a light skinned Latino man. He honestly looked like a Halloween prop. I guess the look on my face said it all - Boss Lady could see me but not Green Man. She immediately grabbed her camera and sent a picture to Boss Man, telling him the viewing was OFF. Whew.
Again, people - when a funeral professional steers you away from having a viewing, please follow their lead. Luckily, Green Man's family paid attention and they had a closed casket service.
Will have to write about the fighting families later. I'm wiped out from writing this - it's bringing it all up again and it's getting to me.
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