We were very close. He underwent a bone marrow transplant and never recovered from the procedure. It was very hard on all of us, we really expected this to be the fix, not the end. My step-mom and brother still don't talk, and we seldom touch base. We are spread out across the country, so it's not like we will run into each other. I try to keep us 'together', but I have stopped lately. It just doesn't seem like it's worth the effort. I try to envelope myself in my current family, but there is always that tug to reconnect.