Grief, and Perspective

I cried in my office, again.  This time, b/c I just happened to check fb on my phone.
Someone I knew, and played with as a child, passed away.  She was found collapsed in her apartment last Monday by her coworkers, who came to check on her when she didn't show up to work.  I don't understand what was the medical problem, but she was in a coma, medically induced and there were difficulties getting her body temperatures to normalize.  It was too low, then got a fever, and things were looking to level out and her family was looking to get her some intensive treatment as soon as she woke up from the coma, after she was weaned off the sedatives.  It just so sudden.

Her mother, Mrs. G, was the home ec teacher at the K-12 school I attended 6th thru 12th grade.  I am 2 years older than her, and was actually better friends with her twin sister when we were preteens.  Here's the fact that worsens this tragedy and loss.  Her twin sister passed away less than a year ago, after just over 10 years of suffering and living in a wheel chair with brain damage.
I remember where I was and what my reaction was when I first heard of N, the 1st twin's condition.  I was at my desk in my sophomore year dorm room in Few Quad, HH 020 was the room number.  I remember feeling the blood drained from my head and down my neck and seemed to just drain down and away.  I was speechless and still for a full 30 minutes, during which time I had started crying and my roommate noticed the silent tears.  And after a while I willed myself to move and talk and told her what I just found out.  N had gone into the hospital for some benign abscess in her head, and it was drained and she was discharged, no problem.  Then her condition got bad and she was rushed to the ER, and they medically induced a coma, a coma from which she didn't recover.  The period of time during which her brain had insufficient oxygen supplied was too long and she suffered permanent brain damage.  N survived, and became responsive and we all had so much hope for her to heal.  She had a special wheel chair, Mrs. G found some cutting-edge treatments that had something to do with increasing oxygen supplies for periods of time as a therapy to revive brain cells and she got physical therapy.  It didn't do her very much good.  While her sisters went to college, got jobs and moved out, N lived in the wheel chair for 10 years.  My heart broke for the family, but things seemed okay.  N left this earth to regain her full, beautiful and complete function in heaven, late summer/early fall 2012.
Then R, N's twin, suddenly collapsed, and I honestly believed that she would be fine, and I thought it was just a small medical hiccup, nothing severe, scary or that it would lead to her following N away from our world.  But now Mrs. G and the family has lost both twins within a year of each other, and I am grieved.

If anyone reads this, please keep the family in your prayers.  They are not financially wealthy people and caring for N and then R, the medical bills are an unimaginable burden for them.  What's funny is that R passed away about 4 hours ago, and earlier today, I recounted in my head the story of someone dying in their office at this firm, someone who had a very unhealthy lifestyle, did little to mitigate the extreme stress, smoked and drank heavily, and literally spent most nights at the office instead of resting and rejuvenating the tired body.  I can't believe it.
It brings perspective to me, as I remember getting angry over the people in the subway not watching where they are going, eyes glued to their smart phones.  Wondering if I'm being paid comparably as a little snot-head atty in a large firm.  My worries are so insignificant and non-existent when it's put next to the pain and tragedy that my friends are suffering.  It humbles me that they are faithful and live their lives honestly in spite of their unfair share of pain at this time.  Please pray for them.