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I remember when it changed for me. I got a call from his wife that my dad taken a fall (wasn't the first time), and was at a rehab facility. I'd seen him in the hospital quite a few times before for surgeries and other things, and I drove down to see him. As I turned the corner in the hall I saw him sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway, kind of slumped over. I got to him and said hi and he recognized me and smiled, but he was completely different - a shell of the strapping dad that I always knew. He was suffering from bladder cancer and some other things, but he'd turned a corner towards the end. He went home later that week, and passed at home a few months later in hospice. I wasn't there for the last moments, but did see him a few days before.
It is sad, terrifying, but profoundly human and a reminder that in fact we have a limited time on this planet. In that way, it is a beautiful part of life, but will challenge us all when the reality finally comes home to roost. God speed to your dad. I miss mine.
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