On this day two years ago, my dad went to the hospital and never came back. This post will not convey the sorry and possible regret that we felt that day, but hopefully the leadership that my quiet, sometimes passive brother displayed that day in what would be one of the hardest decisions he would ever have to make.
My dad battled with a myriad of health issues, including oral cancer and double bypass surgery. He lived a life of tobacco and alcohol and in the later years, as things got worse, he looked to those things for healing rather than medical treatment. He passed away 11 days later in hospice alone.
My brother made the call to an ambulance all knowing my dad was passed the window to a potential recovery. The executive decision to get my dad help came from a man who shrugs his shoulders on mostly everything, doesn’t really get angry, and seems to have the same decibel level to his voice despite the circumstances.
He’s older than me by a few years and I was the textbook tag along little brother growing up but as the years past we became closer. I remember this day quite vividly and truly appreciate who my brother is and what he had to do.
This timeframe two years ago can be filled with buckets of tears, but my brother is a reminder how to handle stressful situations with grace, humility and love without meriting credit that he so rightfully deserves especially in the midst of chaos.
Thanks Marc for being an example that I need right now.
-mp
