[ladygreek]

Well my story doesn't touch yours.

My cousin died last year of diabetes. For the past two years, his girlfriend had been taken care of him.

Well at the hospital the doc ask my other cousin who was the next of kin. Doofus says R. had a wife. Most of us in the family never even knew he had married that girl and he hadn't been with her in 15 years.

The problem was my cousin was to be an organ donor. In turn the hospital would give the family $5,000 for the funeral. But the next of kin had to sign the papers for the actual harvesting.

So after being called by the hospital, in comes wifey (high as a kite off of crack) hysterical about losing her husband and telling the doc, she doesn't want to talk about such things right then, she was grieving. So the doc says if you can come back in 6 hours after you have had time to calm down that would be fine. But that was the window of opportunity for being able to take the organs--and they had three receipients waiting--for his heart, his liver, and his eyes. Well she never went back--so no organ donation.

So we have the Wake and afterwards when the funeral home director asked to speak with her, she came and got me. (The driector knew me from high school.) He told us that the funeral could not occur the next day if he didn't get payment.

So I told my cousin's brother, and uncle what was up. Every family member all said they had no money. (And I know they don't--but that's a whole 'nother story.) That's when I heard the story about the organ donation--everyone figured it was taken care of.

Luckily St. Louis has US BAnk, which is where I bank here in MN. I went the first thing the next money and got a cashier's check for the amount. (Since the director knew me he only charged me his cost for the funeral.)

Of course I have not seen one nickel from his brother or his uncle.

And I'll save the wifey/girlfriend drama for another time.