Karen Kilgariff

Okay, this one is really long. It's my last one. It will probably make you cry. I'm going to guess 75% on Karen crying on this one. Okay, let's see. I'm not going to read you the title. Hey all, this is longish but worth it. It also may make you emote be warned. When my twin sister Ashley and I were 13 years old, she woke me up at 3 a.m.

Okay, this one is really long. It's my last one. It will probably make you cry. I'm going to guess 75% on Karen crying on this one. Okay, let's see. I'm not going to read you the title. Hey all, this is longish but worth it. It also may make you emote be warned. When my twin sister Ashley and I were 13 years old, she woke me up at 3 a.m.

on Christmas morning, sobbing in my bed, begging me not to die. I vividly remember responding immediately with, Ash, I'm not going to die before you. You're going to die before me. I'm the one who has to figure out how to live without my twin. This was not that abnormal for her to worry about. I come from a very large, close family, and we had a few grandparents die around that time.

on Christmas morning, sobbing in my bed, begging me not to die. I vividly remember responding immediately with, Ash, I'm not going to die before you. You're going to die before me. I'm the one who has to figure out how to live without my twin. This was not that abnormal for her to worry about. I come from a very large, close family, and we had a few grandparents die around that time.

Because it was the height of COVID, we were not allowed to see her in the hospital. Even though she was comatose, I still felt connected to her as I always have. She called it twin tuition. Every night for almost a month, I went outside to angrily smoke and yell at her wherever the fuck she was. I was so angry at not being able to be with her because of COVID.

Because it was the height of COVID, we were not allowed to see her in the hospital. Even though she was comatose, I still felt connected to her as I always have. She called it twin tuition. Every night for almost a month, I went outside to angrily smoke and yell at her wherever the fuck she was. I was so angry at not being able to be with her because of COVID.

And I was terrified that I would never see her again. I wouldn't get to say goodbye, which didn't seem right considering we came into this world together. I'm already fucking... Getting choked up. I didn't want her to leave the world alone. The entire time she was in a coma, I would yell at her. I would cry at her. I would apologize to her for yelling at her.

And I was terrified that I would never see her again. I wouldn't get to say goodbye, which didn't seem right considering we came into this world together. I'm already fucking... Getting choked up. I didn't want her to leave the world alone. The entire time she was in a coma, I would yell at her. I would cry at her. I would apologize to her for yelling at her.

I kept telling her, give me one more year. I know it's selfish of me, but I can't do this without you yet. I need one more year. Come on, Ash. I know you can hear me. What's the fucking password? What's the fucking password? When we were kids, we used to always joke about what we would do if one of us was cloned. We were weirdly obsessed with it. I guess being a twin is like a clone.

I kept telling her, give me one more year. I know it's selfish of me, but I can't do this without you yet. I need one more year. Come on, Ash. I know you can hear me. What's the fucking password? What's the fucking password? When we were kids, we used to always joke about what we would do if one of us was cloned. We were weirdly obsessed with it. I guess being a twin is like a clone.

That's got to be a little jarring.

That's got to be a little jarring.

Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. How would we know who the real one was versus who the clone was? Her answer was always the same. Just ask me for the password to our bedroom. Because of course we had a secret password to our bedroom that only we knew. We had way too many siblings we couldn't trust with our Nintendo DES. At 1109 a.m. on a Wednesday in December 2020, my phone rang.

Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. How would we know who the real one was versus who the clone was? Her answer was always the same. Just ask me for the password to our bedroom. Because of course we had a secret password to our bedroom that only we knew. We had way too many siblings we couldn't trust with our Nintendo DES. At 1109 a.m. on a Wednesday in December 2020, my phone rang.

It was a phone number that I didn't recognize. I answered it, said hello a couple times, but heard no response until finally a scratchy, rough voice said, it's Mariah Carey. Now stop fucking yelling at me. You heard me, Britt. It's Mariah Carey. Now stop yelling. She woke up. I immediately broke down and said, Ash, is that you? Silence.

It was a phone number that I didn't recognize. I answered it, said hello a couple times, but heard no response until finally a scratchy, rough voice said, it's Mariah Carey. Now stop fucking yelling at me. You heard me, Britt. It's Mariah Carey. Now stop yelling. She woke up. I immediately broke down and said, Ash, is that you? Silence.

About two minutes later, a nurse picked up the phone and identified herself as Mary. Mary explained that my sister had woken up from a 35-day coma that they didn't expect her to come back from. In fact, at one point she had died and they had brought her back. She wanted to tell me that as soon as my sister woke up, they extubated her and she kept motioning for the phone in her hospital room.

About two minutes later, a nurse picked up the phone and identified herself as Mary. Mary explained that my sister had woken up from a 35-day coma that they didn't expect her to come back from. In fact, at one point she had died and they had brought her back. She wanted to tell me that as soon as my sister woke up, they extubated her and she kept motioning for the phone in her hospital room.

When she was finally able to speak, she said, call Britt. I was her healthcare agent or next of kin and was always her main contact during any hospital stay. If you hadn't guessed it yet, Mariah Carey was the password to our childhood bedroom.

When she was finally able to speak, she said, call Britt. I was her healthcare agent or next of kin and was always her main contact during any hospital stay. If you hadn't guessed it yet, Mariah Carey was the password to our childhood bedroom.