On Sunday January 9, 2011 Layne's uncle Garth passed away. He was the youngest in his family, not quite 65. He has had a life full of health challenges beginning with a heart attack at age 31. For the past few years he has been on dialysis three days a week. He also had a pace maker and an artificial knee. He has been battling an infection that forced the doctors to take out the pacemaker and his artificial knee until they could clear up the infection. He had to stay in the rehab center while he was trying to recover from the infection. Luckily his wife Ann, worked at the rehab center so she was able to spend a lot of time with him. 
We were able to go see him as a family on Christmas Eve and was all sang Christmas carols together. He really seemed to enjoy it. About a week later the doctors came to the conclusion that the infection wasn't going away and didn't give him much hope to ever get the artificial knee put back in. After considering that lack of quality life this would give him he decided to stop taking dialysis.
During the next two weeks he was able to see many friends and family and had the chance to say goodbye to all of his loved ones. It is a gift that not many people get. He was a great man with a great sense of humor. He kept the nurses laughing right up to his last day. He will be greatly missed.
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