T.G.I.F, right?
Mood:
not sure
Yeah, it's crappy. Thanks for asking.
So today is March 25, 2005. I have a feeling that I will remember this day like I remember May 31, 2002.
"Talk about it", they say, "Write about, it's therapy."
But who wants to listen? Who wants to read?
It takes a strong stomach to hold down stories of how the strongest, kindest, most intelligent, loving man I have ever known, has been destroyed. Some days, my father can't even sign his own name. Others, he can't button his shirt, or talk without sounding like Barry White with really bad bronchitis. Most days he can't even stay awake for long enough periods of time to watch an entire episode of Futurama.
I have been the care provider or, 'nurse', for my father since his diagnosis. I have been the
sole care provider for him since his fianceé was killed in a car crash last June. It's an unusual job. Way more than 40 hours a week. And void of sick days, personal leave, or vacations. However, I wouldn't want to do anything else. Not only is he my father, but my best friend and comrade. This is what you do for people you love and care about.
Life has definitely not been kind to my father. As a result; he has become stoic, courageous, suborned, emotionally and physically beat-up, and in my eyes, infallible. Not a day goes by that I do not scream out, "This is not fair!". Not for me, but for him. What kharma is biting this beautiful man in the ass? Why should I have to say goodbye to my father at 25 years of age? The life expectancy in this country for unmarried men is 74. He is only 52. I am not an accountant but, I think that figure is off by 22 years. I have to accept the notion that he will never see me marry, or raise a family. I do not think he will be here for my 30th birthday. So yes, I am angry. I feel robbed. But then I remember, this is not about me. Excluding tragedy, I have many years left to my life.
My main goal with my father is to make sure that he is able to go in peace. I want him to know that I love him more than anything, anyone, and anyplace on this earth. He has taught me things that no one else could. He has made sure that was always taken care of. I want him to not feel like a failure. I want him to know that I will be 'OK'.
*although I know I won't.* Most of all, I do not want him to be in pain anymore, or struggle to hide it so I won't "worry". It hurts me so much to see him try and keep going, but at the same time I do not know what to do without him.
He truly is my better half. We are practically identical in appearance and personality. He is the one person I dont even need to talk to, and he gets the joke. To steal someone else's poetry, he is the reason I sing. He is the reason that the opera is even in me.
In about three hours, we will be leaving for his oncologist. Today's meeting is for the results of tests he had in the last week. MRI's, CTscans of his brain, neck and chest, and a bone scan. All of these were done because of a PETscan he had a few weeks ago. The PETscan showed a diminish in the tumors of his lungs, but 'hot spots' all through the rest of his body. So, they poke him, prod him, and stick him into tubular devices that make nauseating noises, to confirm whether or not the cancer has in fact spread to his bones and brain. I don't want that to be the case, but it is the inevitable.
I am doing my effing hardest to stay positive right now, but so far this week, everything has been squashing my now feeble attempt. I would like to blame it on mercury in retrograde, but c'mon. For those of you who really know me...
I am crossing my fingers, and am trying to breathe deep. Something I bet my dad wishes he could do. I cannot express how much I desire to have just a little more time. Maybe this will be a Good Friday.