On this date 22 years ago, at 5:45 pm I lost my father. Like today, July 6, 2021, it was a Tuesday. How do I remember it so well? Simply put, I think of him daily and when he was dying, I was moving towards his room at the convalescent center. I saw a nurse pushing an oxygen tank. She moved in the same direction as I did. Never did I realize she was going to my dad’s room until she placed her hand on the door.
Dearest Readers: Although the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I wanted to share a story about my father’s battle with esophageal cancer. The month of April is the scheduled month for Esophageal Cancer Awareness. When my father was diagnosed, medical professionals assumed he was a smoker. He never smoked – EVER! DIAGNOSIS …
Dearest Readers: Below is an essay written before my father’s death – July 6, 1999 WALTER W. PERKINS Mr. Sandpiper, 1998 Born an identical twin on December 19, 1914, Walter W. Perkins will soon celebrate his 84th birthday and he is the only surviving family member left of his generation. His identical twin brother was …
Dearest Readers: The diagnosis rings in your ears. Esophageal cancer. A thousand thoughts and questions race inside your mind and you find it difficult to cope, think or relax. You want a second opinion. You want to live and you want things to be the way they were, before your quality of life was questionable …
Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Author 