Bill

 

Caregiver for 10 year(s)

My dear ol’ dad, passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 2012 after stoically battling the effects of Parkinson’s Disease for over a decade. He was 88 and thankfully wasn’t diagnosed with the disease until his senior years. His twin sister is now 91 years old and its all I can do to think that he’d still be as vibrant and healthy as she otherwise, if Parkinson’s Disease hadn’t intercepted his years. Still, Dad’s dependence on me and my sisters brought us all closer than the closeness we already shared. We rallied together as the disease progressed and committed ourselves to giving him tons of love, lots of family time and as much normalcy as we could. Dad lived a full life to the end and he hung around for many happy family events, even the birth of his great grandson who arrived from Arizona to meet his great grandfather just a single day too late. But thanks to technology Dad got to meet his great grandson from afar and we will always be grateful for that. My sisters and I never stopped sharing our love and telling him we loved him, and we have nothing but happy memories of our years together. Dad now dances with our mom in heaven – mom, who passed prematurely many years ago. Knowing they are together again gives us great comfort. My father, Herb (Herbie) left a legacy of strength, humor, goodwill, love and family. Parkinson’s Disease slowed him down, but rarely got him down. I am more grateful for what he had and what he gave, than hateful for what this disease did.