“I waited until I heard my dad come home to sleep. I took off his shoes after he passed out on the couch and put my finger under his nose to check his breathing. I learned to love his scent—grass, sweat, and booze.”
‘I’m so sorry. I can’t do this anymore, Chelsea.’ I didn’t know it would be his last Father’s Day.’: Woman mourning father declares ‘to grieve is to have felt love’
‘I wanted you to graduate without worrying about me.’ It had spread to his brain.’: Woman describes grief of losing both parents to cancer
“After finals, my family came to visit me on campus. My dad was very somber. ‘I didn’t want to hide this from you.’ I can’t describe the pain.”
I Tuck Notes Behind His Headstone
“Someday, maybe 500 years from now, someone might open those graves, find those notes encapsulated, and read about a love that transcended death. That could not be killed by cancer. That could not be beaten down by time, and could not be stopped by any force.”
‘I heard my mom sobbing in the background. ‘She has 12 months left to live.’ I fell to my knees, sobbing. I thought my parents were bulletproof.’: Woman shares grief journey after losing mom to brain tumor
“Although I had a husband and three children to care for, I was lost in darkness. I poured a bottle of lorazepam down my throat. I had eyes only for my mom and seeing her again.”
‘You’re YOUNG, what do you have to be stressed about?’ I was living the life of a 50-year-old. I was a caregiver AND a patient.’: Migraine warrior takes care of mom during cancer battle
“When my mom asked me to take a step back from school and work to take care of her during her cancer treatments, I didn’t hesitate to choose my mama. By being a caregiver, I learned how to be a patient.”
‘My screams woke up the entire sorority house. ‘My dad died 7 months ago. She can’t die too!’ At that point, the rest of my life began.’: Young woman shares grief journey, ‘My parents would be proud of me’
“I saw missed calls and a voicemail from my aunt. ‘You need to get home now. Be strong.’ I called my mom, but she didn’t answer. That’s when I got scared.”
‘You need to get away. You need a BREAK.’ So what did I do? YUP, I called my sister. Who else would do this for me?’: Woman writes story praising ‘superstar’ late sister, ‘She was my rock’
“She called from the hospital to let me know she would try to be well enough to make that trip down here. She had COVID. She helped in every way possible for me to navigate widowhood. She was on the ventilator eight days. The one I leaned on my whole life.”
‘Her doctor burst in. ‘Where is she?’ He looked nervous. I wished for a second parent to defer to. But I didn’t have one.’: Daughter supports mom through terminal illness, ‘I hug her a little longer each day’
“For as long as I can remember, it has been the two of us. She kept up with all of her motherly duties despite being sick, fighting twice as hard because she knew she was all I had. I can never repay her.”
‘We promised him he could die at home. Every mile felt like 100. I live with the ‘what-ifs.’: Widow recalls dying husband’s last journey with cancer, ‘I know he is free’
“Driving him home was an out of body experience. I have driven those interstates many times in the past, but never had I driven someone I love to die.”
‘Oh thank God, one surgery and he’ll be back to normal.’ My dad was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. He was going to survive, no doubt in my mind.’: Daughter reflects on holidays without your dad
”A feeling came over me that my dad would not pass away if I was there. I was his little girl and he was my hero. 15 minutes later, he was gone. The first Christmas without my dad, I remember thinking, ‘Just smile.’ I also carried a water bottle with me everywhere, because my dad had once told me as a child, ‘if you drink water, you will calm down and not cry.”
