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: July 6 is always a day of remembrance for me. Truly a day to spend the entire day in tears, or a day to give thanks. Why? Allow me to explain. During the stressful days of my dad’s terminal illness with esophageal cancer during December 1997 until his death on July 6, …
Holidays of 1997 During the holidays of 1997, my life was extremely busy until a shocking reality forced me to readjust my schedule, to make time for a new, unsuspecting emergency when my father needed me the most, during his illness. I was stepping into a new chapter of my life, green and naive of …
Dearest Readers: Happy Father’s Day to all of the father’s in the United States of America. Today is a special day, to give thanks and celebrate our fathers. From the moment we were born, most of us had a father. Maybe you have precious memories of your father, and perhaps there are some, like me, …
Yes. I know, I’ve been a bit negligent with writing in my blog. If you recall, on March 7, 2017, I lost one of the loves of my life. My little Sir Shakespeare Hemingway. My life appeared to stop after losing him. I cried. Oh…How I cried.
Dearest Caregiver…A Letter to Help Ease When You Become the Parent to a Parent…
Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Author 