A heart attack killed him but he had many medical ailments.
The one that concerns my own health is colon cancer.
I had a polyp removed six years ago.
No cancer.
I'm due to have another colonoscopy this year.
It's something I think about from time to time.
I saw what it did to my Dad's quality of life.
But my Dad rarely went to the doctor for preventive medicine.
I read and listen to a lot of stories about cancer.
Children, adults, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer.
The list of cancers is a long one, each of them categorized by stages.
Like I said, my Dad's cancer was aggressive.
It took only a few months for the colon to weaken.
He had surgery to try and repair it but it was too late.
My sisters and I offered on numerous occasions to help.
But my Dad was a proud man.
And his wife? Well, she was a mystery to us.
No person should be made to live the way he did in his last years.
Though I have wondered if he reached out to God in those moments.
I like to think he did even though there is no evidence supporting that hope.
If I had cancer, I would reach out for help.
I would ask for prayer, ask for whatever I needed.
No matter what, I wouldn't shrink away from my family like he did.
I would never leave my family to wonder, "Why didn't you let us help you?"
