Funny thing - my mother-in-law was born in Rhode Island, and her parents were both born in Poland. Her mother-in-law (Babcia) owned the fourplex where branches of the family lived, and Babcia required everyone to speak Polish - so my wife's first language was Polish, too.

But my mother-in-law once told me, "I'm American, and I don't really like all this Polish stuff. My daughter (my wife) speaks Polish better than I do." But she does like to sing Polish carols with my wife and Christmas, while they're making Borsht and preparing the pickled herring and the opłatek (Christmas wafers that look like communion bread).

She's miserable now, but she doesn't want to die. I'll ask about the oxygen, but I would think that's already been considered. It would certainly seem to be less invasive than blood transfusions, but I think the problem is that her blood just isn't able to absorb oxygen. My wife is the chiropractor in the family and understands these things very well. My wife is a great patient's advocate on medical doctor visits for her mother and other older women.

-Joe-