In Loving Memory

Today my Dad will celebrate his 2nd Birthday in Heaven. I have no idea how it has been two years. It seems like maybe a year ago when we spent 15 days in the hospital with him. Yet is seems like a lifetime ago that I spoke to him.  I am sure that anyone who has lost a loved one knows exactly what I am talking about.

My Dad was a stubborn man. He would be the first to tell you this too. He had not been feeling well. Not bad, just a case of the flu or so we thought. He was having some pain in his arm, but he had just ripped out the toilet in his bathroom to replace the floor, so it made sense that his arm was sore.
On Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006 he suffered from a heart attack. My (then 11yr old) niece found him on the floor and went to get my Grandma. (thinking that her Grandpa was doing push ups. My Dad would NEVER do push ups) (btw. my Dad lived with his Mom and my niece helping to care for both of them) My Grandma called 911, after trying to help my Dad back onto the bed. They arrived just after my sister showed up and just before I did. He flat-lined twice before leaving the house, once in the front yard, and once or twice more on the way to the hospital.
Once there he was taken immediately into surgery. I can not remember exactly what was done to him. He had a double bypass I think. One artery, I remember, was completely blocked. I can not remember what else. He came through the surgery ok, but remained unconscious. He was put into ICU. Where we waited. On friday (Nov 24, the day after Thanksgiving) the cardiologist ordered an EEG. Dad had very little brain activity. It was decided to make no decision then and wait it out over the weekend and do another EEG on Monday. Nothing happened over the weekend. Monday came, the EEG was done and he had even less brain activity. It is still hard for me to accept or admit that my Dad was brain dead. (if you knew him, this would make ALL the sense in the world) We had prayed and prayed and prayed, but God's will was most definitely different than ours. The decision was made by the entire family that Dad would not want to live by means of a machine. There was no doubt in my mind that we were making the right decision, but it was still the hardest decision I ever had to help make in my life. 
The life support was removed and Dad was moved to another floor of the hospital to the Palliative Care Unit, where the family was welcome to come and go and stay as they please. We were a permanent fixture to that ward for the next 10 days. The Dr's. had originally only given Dad a day or two, once being removed from the life support. But being my Dad he defied their expectations in his true fashion. Though he never regained consciousness, he was going to die in his own time, rather than when the Dr. said he would. (we all know this was God's timing, but I am sure to my Dad, it was all his decision) He only passed away AFTER the Dr. stopped giving an educated guess as to when it would happen. His cardiologist was an elderly man with years and years and years and years of experience.
Dad also only passed AFTER his primary care Dr. (that was assigned to him) was fired by the family.
I miss my Dad everyday that passes. (more and more each day)
This afternoon we will go to the cemetery to "visit" and take balloons for CJ to "send" to Papaw Bob.

Happy 2nd Birthday DAD. We love you!!!

Thank you for letting me talk about my Dad today. It has helped to remember what a strong man he was, even at his weakest moments in life.
I was especially close to my Dad as he raised me and gave up a lot to do just that, after my Mom left us when I was just 8 yrs old. I was the light of his life and he mine. (I will touch more on that later)