Dear Annie: I am a 72-year-old widow, and most days, I feel like I’m simply fading into the background of life. I lost my husband in 2018, and in 2023, I lost my oldest son. The grief has taken a toll, and so has my health. I now wear a colostomy pouch, and because of that, I rarely leave the house. I have no transportation of my own and rely on Uber for the few trips I can manage. Most days, it’s just me and the silence.

I do have one living son, but he has chosen to cut ties with me. My only other family is a niece who lives in Georgia, while I’m in Michigan. We talk occasionally, but I still feel very much alone.

My doctors have said there’s a chance my colostomy could be reversed, but at my age and in my condition, surgery feels too risky. So I live with it. And I live with the fear

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