Wow! What a great piece of writing. I was reminded of a canoe partner that had 35 years on me. We had shared many a campsite and nights at my old cabin in the northwoods. He was truly a man of the outdoors and shunned modern trappings. As he neared death one fall his family took him to the emergency room and there was a mixup and the paperwork he had signed about what measures to take were not noted and he was hooked up to a cluster of tubes and hoses. I was not family and told the nurse that when she asked. I said I was just a good friend that wanted to see him one more time. I entered his room and he looked over at me unable to talk for all the tubes hooked to his nose. I will never forget the wild look in his eyes that yelled "set me free." The paperwork was found and they did remove all the tubes and he was able pass away a week later.