In 2005, my father (adoptive) was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. By that time, it had metastasized to his bones. I believe it was in July that he could not get out of bed and he never did again. He was admitted to UBC hospital and he was waiting for a bed in hospice. There was a lot to do as the family was arranging care for my dad.

On the morning of September 1, I noticed that the left side of my face was numb. Over the next couple of weeks, dad got worse — and the numbness persisted. So, I did manage to go to see my GP because I wanted a neurology referral. I was concerned about the possibility of MS because I knew that the onset could be as subtle as that facial numbness. The referral went through and the focus returned to dad. We visited and had our chance to say our final words.

At about 3:00 am on September 19 I woke up — it was unusual to wake up as I didn’t have to go the bathroom. When the phone rang at 7:00, I said to my husband that it was because my dad had died. I picked up the phone. It was UBC hospital calling to give me the news that he died at 2:55 am. I called my mom to let her know. Coincidentally, she had woken up at about 3:00 as well.

The family worked together to organize the funeral and it was held on September 23, 2005. I worked with a talented friend who made up a gorgeous funeral card for him with photos and pictures I scanned for her. At his bedside was a beautiful card my cousin Erin made for him, so we incorporated that into the design. I wrote the text in an inspired moment with fond memories of his good nature.

The day after his funeral, the numbness went away.