In Memory

My dad passed away in 2002 from complications after a heart attack. He was 83. Dad always said he was going to live to a ripe old age of 90, like his dad. Too bad he didn't make it. Dad went through a lot his last few years. He was diagnosed with sinus cancer 1996. It was very serious and he needed to have the cancer removed right away which resulted in him losing part of his nose. After complications from more surgeries, he ended up with no nose. The doctors and specialists he saw in Toronto were miracle workers! Not only was the cancer gone, but he now had a prosthetic nose! He looked almost normal with that plastic nose! However, after a few years of having no nose, his eyes and cheeks began to 'sink' and lower into his face. The nose did not fit as well as it used to. He was a proud man and hated that 'fake' nose and often would refuse to wear it. The family was used to seeing him with no nose, but strangers would be shocked when they saw him. The hardest part of dad's illness was seeing him go from a strong, silly and happy man to a sad, depressed, sunken man.
Nevertheless, he was a trouper. He never complained. He was a fighter.
His heart remained true, always. I never want to forget his trueness of heart.
After he passed away, I asked the nurses in the hospital if I could have a copy of his electrocardiogram. I framed it.