(something i have to get off my chest) Utterly Heartbroken...

[ColinJ]

Very sad ...

My mum developed Parkinson's at my age and endured its horrible effects for over 20 years before finally being killed by it. (It made it difficult for her to swallow properly. She kept inhaling scraps of food and eventually developed aspiration pneumonia as a result of that.)

 

[RoubaixCube]

Very sad ...

My mum developed Parkinson's at my age and endured its horrible effects for over 20 years before finally being killed by it. (It made it difficult for her to swallow properly. She kept inhaling scraps of food and eventually developed aspiration pneumonia as a result of that.)

Poor thing, Im sorry for your loss.

Ive had sick family members before. I lost an aunt to a form of leukemia at an early age, I was too young to understand what it really meant to see somebody who was almost to the point where they were terminally ill but I was always kept away from seeing her when she was in hospital because they feared the sight wouldnt be so good for a child to see...So I didnt see her condition with my own eyes. One day while she was at home, she suddenly passed out, fell and went into a comatose state which she never recovered from.

My grandfather passed away from a stroke earlier this year. even though I had more contact with him then my aunt but I didnt really feel saddened at his passing. He had a stroke about 5 or so years ago. and slowly lost the use of his legs, His memory started to go and even though he spent the remainder of his life in a care home being looked after, he still thought he was back at home time to time, and his memory of me was back when i had my hair past my waist which was so many many moons ago. I was just happy that he had moved on to a better place rather then spending most of his life in a bed at a care home just waiting for the conductor to punch his ticket... I remember him quite fondly though.

Oliver (the gentle giant) on the other hand was just a family friend. He looked after me a few times after school, had them around for BBQs and such, didnt really do a whole lot together honestly, mum used to spend hours chatting on the phone to his wife and thats about it. There was no real bond between me & Oliver but I was just so emotionally distraught.

I guess subconsciously. Oliver had become one of my heros. It was a huge shock to me obviously, and it still is, but I will always remember him for the man he once was even though my heart still grieves over his condition which will just slowly get worse and worse over the years.

It really hammers home the point of treasuring the people around me who i love and care for a little more then i normally would. life is such a precious thing that many dont have the chance to really enjoy and appreciate that can be put out in an instant like a candle.

 

[stephec]

@RoubaixCube there's one positive you can take from this, you went see him in the first place.

How would you have felt if you'd put it off until later, then found out it was too late?

Keep up the contact with him and talk about the good old days, you'll both enjoy it, and when his time finally comes you'll feel so much better that you did.

 

[ColinJ]

It really hammers home the point of treasuring the people around me who i love and care for a little more then i normally would. life is such a precious thing that many dont have the chance to really enjoy and appreciate that can be put out in an instant like a candle.

Indeed! I was fortunate in being able spend 5 or 6 weeks a year with my mum after my dad died, though the visits became more and more distressing as she became more frail.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Just a small update..

Ive just been told by my mum that he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer
I dont know the exact details but Im hoping to see him midweek.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Just a small update..

Ive just been told by my mum that he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer
I dont know the exact details but Im hoping to see him midweek.

Liked for the update - I remember reading this thread way back. Thanks for posting.

Life can be such a bugger at times - both of us here have had to deal with the ravages of cancer on our parents.

I hope that, when you meet him, you are able to give him some comfort in his remaining time.

PS: nothing wrong with shedding tears either. Not just as a kid but as an adult.

 

[captain nemo1701]

My thoughts are with you. My father died from Parkinson's in 2007. I've also in the last decade had to deal with the suicide of two brothers, with whom I went to school with in the 1970's. They lived 200 yards up the street, came to my birthdays, we went to the cinema together, swam in the local river etc, on warm sunny days. Happy memories of those days.....

Then I discover that the eldest sibling committed suicide in 2008. The younger apparently couldn't deal with it and after several years, went the same way in 2016 . And there was a third old school mate who took his own life in 1995. So that's three old pals no longer with us by their own hand. Sad that I'll never get the chance now to catch up with them as I get older.