The space in between.

My sister is neither here nor gone. She's in that weird space between this world and whatever comes next. She can no longer be talked about in the present tense because she is no longer the person she was - yet it's impossible to allude to her being gone while she's still physically here.

She has a strong heart. It's what's keeping her bound to that hospice bed. All her other organs are sick and tired and they want to drop out of the marathon, but her heart is still running the race.