Karismom, thank you for saying what you said. It's a rare parent, especially with 2 CF kids, that can speak so candidly, and have the heart to admit such a thing. Ry's parents originally wanted 5 or 6 children, and when Ry was little, and still healthy, Hannah thought about having more. Thankfully, cooler heads ( Michael's) prevailed. After Ry's death, Hannah said she was so grateful that they had stopped, because that was hell. And I think what you said was right. Parents don't have another child because God wants it, or because they don't want their CFer to be lonely. They do it because they don't want to be childless, whatever risk, with worse odds than Russian Roulette, that means taking.
Like Mel said, it isn't dying. It's the decline. The last week of Ry's life was easy on him, he was out of pain, and the pressure was off. It was all the time that led up to it that was hell. Seeing someone you love struggle so hard that they can no longer walk across the room, or dress themselves, or shower, is painful to watch. There's so much physical and emotional pain wrapped up in those end stages, and I would never make Ry go through that had I the power to stop it.
