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The Last Goodbye
Reflections of my father’s passing.
It’s said that you should wait at least a year after the death of a loved one to make big life changes. This is a case where I can understand the wisdom of that advice because I can barely decide what to eat for dinner right now, let alone make life-changing decisions.
My father took his last breath on April 10, 2025, at 8:10 pm. This is after he experienced several hospitalizations over the previous five months due to gastrointestinal issues, which led to him refusing to eat, which led to him getting infected bedsores that bled to the point where he needed a blood transfusion, which led to him not leaving the hospital alive after his last hospitalization due to low blood sugar, low blood pressure, low platelet count and diminished liver function.
In short, my father’s last few months alive consisted of pain and a poor quality of life. It’s kind of ironic that I am saying goodbye to my father. He hated the word goodbye as he felt it was too permanent. As children, he’d admonish my sister and me to say “see you later” as he felt it was more hopeful.
A part of me is relieved that Dad is no longer suffering. However, another part of me feels exhausted. My parents were long separated and my mother lives in another state. Had they still been together, my mother undoubtedly would have made all his medical…
