It has been a month since my dad passed away. He had a heart attack on the CT after completing the scan. We had a service here in Dallas and another in his hometown of Irwinville, Georgia. October 6th he will be interned at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. I began the sad process of cleaning out his personal items from his apartment on Saturday. I am still numb and my heart still hurts.
I thought I would update the group as so many of you were so kind with your words of support during what has been the most painful time in my life.
Last week I went to see dad's oncologist to basically get some closure on his medical situation. 2 things struck me from our meeting.
First, dad had some scarring on his bones. the doctor had described it as a "reaction" to the chemo, He never said it was cancer. He assumed we knew it was. We never knew and I thank God for that. Had my dad known, he would have been more worried. The CT results from the day he passed did infact show the cancer was worsening. This news would have devastated my dad's already depressed mind - and he never had to receive the news.
Second, from day one I never asked how much time dad had left. I did not want to know. As it turns out, he had about 6 months left at best.
I believe divine intervention must have interceded and taken my dad. Had he received the news about his condition worsening he would have been crushed. Had his heart attack happened 10 minutes later it would have happened in my jeep on the way home from the hospital. He died in the one place where he could be saved if he were meant to be.
The last words I said to him as he went into his CT was "I'll see you in a few minutes..." and he was gone.
I know cancer ultimately did not take my dad. I cannot put a positive spin on cancer, but cancer did bring me closer to my dad. He moved into our home and spent the final 3 months of his life with me and my wife. We had dinner together almost every night. We took a 14 day road trip. I took him to his hometown for an annual reunion where he saw friends he had not seen in 30+ years. We went cross country to visit relatives including my mom, his ex-wife and went down memory lane, literally. He showed me the places that were truly special to him that I never knew about. Without cancer, I may not have gotten to do any of these things. The memories I made with my dad in the final 3 months of his life are maybe the best. I built a website for my dad's service info but I think I will keep it up for a while. If you would like to visit here's the website: www.raycameron.net
I miss my dad.
Anyhow - thank you all for your support during this time, I sincerely appreciate it. My best wishes to all of you and those you love battling this awful disease.
darren
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