Chapter 26 2. Facing death

For five months in 1991, Diana silently cared for her friend, AIDS patient Adrian Ward Jackson, until he died in a quiet, contented state. Energetic and charismatic, Adrian is president of English Ballet, president of the Pop Arts Society and director of the Society of Theater Museums. This charismatic man found himself HIV-positive in the early 1980s, and for a while he had difficulty accepting the cruel reality. He served as vice-chairman of the AIDS Crisis Foundation, and in the course of his work he learned the truth about the disease.At the same time, he also met Diana. In 1987, he first confessed the truth to his girlfriend Angela Selotta.Angela used to be a dancer of the Royal Ballet. Faced with her terminally ill friend, Angela was calm and calm. With the full support of her two daughters, she tried her best to care for Adrian.

In March 1991, in recognition of Adrian's contribution to the arts, a "Senior Knight of the British Empire" conferring ceremony was held for him at Buckingham Palace.At that time, his illness was on the mend and he attended the ceremony.He was a director of the Royal Ballet, chairman of the Society of Modern Art, and president of the Theater Museum Association. Diana and Angela meet at a celebratory ball for Adrian.In the later days, they took care of their mutual friend Adrian together and established a deep friendship. In April 1991, Adrian's condition deteriorated, and he was recuperating in his apartment all day long. Angela watched him almost day and night.Diana comes to visit regularly, and joins Angela in caring for friends.Once, Diana brought the two little princes William and Henry with her.She believes that for children to grow up better, they must cultivate their ability to face real life, which also includes facing death.

At first, Angela always avoided, leaving Diana and Adrian in the room.Together they talked about their friends, about various aspects of life.Diana often sent Angela a bouquet of flowers or other small gifts, and she called Angela "Mrs. Ann". Angela recalled: "Adrian loved hearing her talk about her day job, her social life. As long as Diana was around, there was laughter in his house. She was very understanding and caring. She was that kind of person. People, not an ornament that just emits fragrance. There was always such a joy in her presence, a joy of knowing pain and understanding.

Angela also believes that when you look at death at that time, it is no longer a sad and depressing thing, and death is just a part of the great journey of life. Thanks to Diana's presence, Adrian's condition is miraculously alleviated.And Diana also gained a new experience of life from it, the calmness after the pain, and the ups and downs of laughing and watching the situation. During Adrian's serious illness, if Diana could not visit him, she must call to inquire about his condition.On her 30th birthday, Diana wore a gold bracelet given to her by Adrian, a token of their deep affection and solidarity.She will accompany Adrian until the last moment of his life, she has made up her mind.

In August, his condition began to deteriorate.Doctors advised him to transfer to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington for more effective treatment. According to the plan, Diana had to go to the Mediterranean for vacation with the royal family members. Adrian said to Diana: "I will wait for you to come back alive." Diana flew to Italy with this heavy task in mind. That vacation was so long.When the holidays were over, she drove straight to St. Mary's Hospital as soon as she stepped off the ramp of the Royal Jet.Angela still clearly remembers: "Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and it turned out to be Diana. I was so happy that I hugged her and immediately led her to Adrian's bed. Before she had time to change, she still She was tanned in that T-shirt from the holidays. Adrian couldn't be happier to see her."

The next day, Diana came to visit with a large bag of delicious food, and Little William followed behind with a large handful of fragrant gardenias. Adrian had stopped taking any medicine, and quietly waited for the call of the god of fate. This is one of the reasons why Diana brought William here. A calm and solemn death will be an important lesson in William's life. On their way home, William said to Diana: "If Adrian dies when I'm in class, can you tell me, I'm going to see him." On Monday, August 19, Adrian was on the brink of death, and the nurses woke Angela, who was napping, to inform Diana.Diana was meeting with members of the royal family in Balmoral, Scotland. Before she left, she repeatedly told her to inform her of any situation.

At this time, the last flight from Balmoral to London had already taken off. Diana wanted to rent a private jet, but couldn't find it for a while, so she decided to drive 600 miles overnight with the guards back to London.After a long night's journey, Diana arrived at the hospital at 4 am the next day.Regardless of the fatigue of the journey, she sat beside Adrian's bed, held his hand with one hand, and kept stroking his forehead with the other hand, guarding for hours. This is true on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Wednesday morning, Diana, feeling overwhelmed, took a nap in the corridor.The bell in the emergency ward not far away rang. A woman died of a heart attack. Diana went to comfort the upset family members of the patients.

On Thursday, the news leaked, and a large number of reporters waited for Diana outside the door. On the morning of August 23, Adrian passed away. After reading the Lord's Prayer with Angela, Diana thoughtfully walked away, wanting the best friends to spend their last moments alone. Diana then made Angela's bed, insisting she get some sleep. As the exhausted Angela fell asleep, Diana mused to herself that it would be best for her to go to France for now, to join her family on holiday there.She packed her suitcases, called Angela's husband, who was in Montpellier, and told him that as soon as Angela woke up, he would fly to France to meet her.

Relieved that everything was in place, Diana went upstairs to the nursery, where both William and Henry were born. Only after experiencing death can we understand life.The beauty of life is even more precious in this solemn death. In thinking about life and death, people can often quickly find out what is external and what is internally necessary in life.She did not ask the Queen's permission this time, and left Balmoral alone.Although the royal family would not appreciate what Diana did, Diana stopped begging for any sign of approval from them.She stood on her own path, more fulfilled than ever.She lived up to the trust of her friends and fulfilled her promise.

After experiencing the death of her friend, Diana will understand love better and how to love.She once imagined a husband who tolerated her and warmed her, but in the desert of love, she only had despair and suicide.The sadness of not being able to ask for it has been haunting her like a nightmare.When time passed and she opened her heart, and cared for others with infinite compassion, she finally found the happiness of love.The happiness of love lies not in getting, but in giving. In the past, she was a thirsty traveler in the desert, but now, she has turned into an oasis of love, and she sings happily in every drop of water.

Diana's concern for AIDS patients did not start with her friend Adrian. In 1987, AIDS scare spread all over the world, and people believed that even the most ordinary contact with AIDS patients would endanger themselves.The isolation, pain and confusion of AIDS patients are vividly shown in "Philadelphia Story" starring Tom Hanks. But Diana didn't think so.In that year, Diana visited a London hospital and saw AIDS patients being treated.When the entourage tried their best to adjust the distance between themselves and the patient, they suddenly found that the Princess of Wales stretched out her hand calmly and held an AIDS patient tightly. When Diana visited Nepal in 1993, she also shook hands with a leper.She used her actions to illustrate that lepers are human beings and should be treated with kindness.Behind those twisted fingers, there are still fresh lives. On the one hand, Diana took it personally, in order to help more people, calling on people to change their prejudices regardless of public comments.In private, avoiding the tracking of the camera, she is still silently dedicating. Diana often went to London AIDS shelters to help, and preparing lunch for patients was one of her regular tasks.She did this out of sincerity, not to cater to anything.Each time, she came quietly alone, but never at any public alms.