A Wonderful Person.

On 31st May, at 10.05 p.m., dad, collapsed while heading to bed. I heard him yell out to me to get mum. I did that and we couldn't get him up so we rang the ambulance. At 2.15 a.m. in the morning and dad rang and was good spirits. The Doctors did tests that Morning and mum went up to visit him. Mum good home at 11.15 a.m. and I asked how dad was.

She replied "Not good he's got cancer".

We went inside and then she said "He's going to Christchurch hospital. It's that bad".

We packed his stuff and went to the  hospital where we talked to him in to his room. We went with dad to down to the ambulance and kissed him goodbye.

That night we had fish and chips for dinner and mum threw up because of the shock.

The next day dad rang to say we could go down to Christchurch, for a couple days to see him. We were down there from the 7th to the 9th of June.

On June the 8th, a nurse was doing work on Dad and as she walked out of his room the nurse asked mum if she wanted to talk to the doctor and mum replied "I already know what's going to happen."

A few minutes later two Doctors, Richard and Leonie walked into dad's room. I shook hands with them and said  "Thank you for helping my dad".

On June the 9th, We left Christchurch and I cried when I left dad at the hospital. Mum, said to me "Man up."

A week later dad moved to Burwood Hospital. He had KFC for dinner most nights and mum would take  him out in the wheelchair which he loved.

On July the 5th Dad returned to Nelson and on 6th July Mum went up to the hospital and gave him a bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast. He was pissed off because we didn't go and see him when he returned late in the afternoon the day before. At Lunchtime he was in better mood.

On July the 7th, mum and dad and the hospital staff discussed where dad would go after this. A staff member suggested the Wood retirement home because it was down the road from home. He was delighted and so was mum. He said things like "I will come over to the Cawthron Institute and have lunch with you." because that's where Mum works. "And I will also be able to come round to our house for a barbecue in the summer ." to our House.

On July the  8th we went up to the Hospital. When we got there we went in for a chat with the doctor who said he thought that dad had had a heart attack and warned that this would happen again. About 15 Minutes later the doctor returned and said that we are were able to see dad. He had to have an oxygen mask on.

Over the next few days we visited the hospital and on the 13th July dad went to the Wood retirement home. At 9.50 p.m. one of the staff rung to say that he was coughing up blood and that they would get an ambulance to take him to hospital. He lost 350 mils of blood that night it was just a bleeding nose. Mum and I went to A&E and at 10.30 p.m. that night a lovely doctor called Tom said it looked like he would die that nightt. Mum and I spent time talking to him. We got home 1.45 a.m.

On Thursday Morning, thinking it was over for dad, I went to sleep by the phone expecting a phone call. It didn't happen till 8.30 a.m. It was dad.

On the 15th of July, in the afternoon, dad returned to the Wood.

The next day we went to Wood and he was not in a good mood so we went and got him Coffee from Zumos. When we got back dad had a turn and 15 minutes later was fine again. They put dad in a wheelchair but then Dad wanted to go back to sleep. at 3:00 p.m. we went down for a chat and set up his television. He was annoyed he couldn't find Prime t.v.  as he wanted to watch the rugby. I found Prime for him he and he was pleased.

That night mum couldn't sleep because she knew the phone call was coming. At 9.12 a.m. the phone went and it was the Wood. They said get to  get down there fast. We got there and he just had just died at 9.16 a.m. We both kissed him goodbye and he was still warm. He looked comfortable, no more pain. The world has lost a good person and a wonderful father who loved both me and my Sister Catherine.