January 12, 2014 changed my world. Prior to this day, I was feeling happy, free and excited about the future. Our oldest son was working, middle son finishing up his last few months of high school and making plans for graduation. Our youngest was going to be a senior the following year. We had just celebrated our grandson’s 1st Christmas. I completed an insurance class and was preparing for my exam.
Two days before I had taken my dad to the doctor and they immediately sent him to the hospital. They admitted him and began trying to drain the fluid that was built up around his heart. The first day, not much was drained and he was still having a hard time breathing. So, before going to the hospital the following day, I decided to go for a run. It was the hospital’s track so I figured once I was done I would just go up to his room.
Well, the prognosis wasn’t good. A lot of the fluid hadn’t drained during the night. They were putting him in an induced coma so they could drain more fluid. As they were rolling him down the hallway, my dad gave my boys a thumbs up to let them know he was okay. But, he wasn’t. We never got to speak to him again. Shortly after, he was gone. I will never forget the looks on everyone’s faces as they received the news.
On January 12, 2014, my dad took his last breath. Sometimes it feels like I did too…………….