Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The World Has Lost a Great Man

On May 22, 2006 at 9:15 AM, this world lost a great man. The Better Half's father passed away after a long, hard battle with cancer at the age of 80. Dick had battled prostate cancer for the previous 15 years. Within the past 8 months, the cancer metastasized to his bones and most recently to his vital organs. During the past 6 months, Dick endured multiple medical procedures which were significantly botched by his physicians. The care he received by the hospital system was horrible. The Better Half and I made significant complaints to the personnel at the hospital to correct the inaccurate care he was receiving. The message I want to portray is that when a loved one is hospitalized, do not be afraid to confront the nursing and physician staff.

I was fortunate and I mean fortunate enough to get to know Dick over the past 10 years. Dick was a man who left school at the age of 17 to join the Navy and fight during WWII. He was a member of the special forces underwater demolition team during WWII and Korea. Upon retirement from the service, he had been shrined with multiple awards of merit which included 2 purple hearts. It was a pleasure to visit with Dick and hear the stories he lived during those difficult times. Dick was the last surviving member of his battalion, so it is sad to say the accurate depiction of those stories will never be told again.

I am most saddened at this time for the Better Half as I feel she was cheated out of a relationship with her father. Her parents divorced when she was a young girl and her mother did not allow her to see her father. It is only during the last 10 years that she has been able to enjoy a relationship with her father. They developed a beautiful relationship during that time in which they spoke to each other at least once a week. I feel Dick did his best to try and make up for lost years, but it is impossible to bring back 20 years of lost time.

Rest comfortably now Dick knowing that I will do my best to take care of your daughter. I am greatly honored to have known you and will whole heartedly miss you.