On Saturday December 15th I delivered my father’s eulogy. Before it started we played “When I get Where I’m Going” with Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley and “Go Rest High on the Mountain” by Vince Gill. Here is basically what I had to say – though I ad libbed a bit. We are here today to celebrate the life of my father, Richard...

My father passed away this morning at 4am. He is finally at peace in heaven with my mother. Visitation will be Friday night at the Rogers Funeral Home in Frankfort, Kentucky with services on Saturday morning. I have never been so drained in all my life.

After the difficult start to the day I called Father Chuck and asked him to come. He spent some time with Daddy. Daddy was calm and peaceful. Father Chuck said that he could tell it would not be long. Daddy had already seen my mother and he was ready he just needed to stay relaxed and peaceful. Then he said that though he wasn’t sure he felt that my presense...

I think my brother and I are reaching our breaking point. I don’t know how much longer we can endure this process. My Dad keeps trying to get out of bed and he is too weak. My brother isn’t strong enough to lift 185 pounds of dead weight. He is going to throw out his back. My Dad isn’t making any sense and we can’t reason with him about...

We were finally able to get my Dad comfortable and resting and he got a better nights sleep (so did I). He only got up twice. This morning he woke up and wanted to sit up on the edge of the bed. He ate a little yogurt for breakfast and was much more lucid. We talked for a bit and I sat next to him on the bed and put my arm around him. He is an amazingly strong...

Most of the day Saturday Daddy seemed to be doing a lot better than I would have expected. He got up and ate a poached egg and toast in the morning. Two friends came by and visted for an hour or so – Byrl and Kurt. They were just torn up when they left but really glad they had come to see him and visit for a while. Father Chuck came by before leaving town to...

Late yesterday afternoon the Hospice nurse came to take my Dad’s blood. She called back with the results and the doctor wanted him to go to the hospital in an ambulance to get a transfusion as his hemoglobin was only 6 and his platelets were only 3. My brother had just left to go back to the airport and my Dad had promised to try to stay alive until he could...

Yesterday I took my Dad in for a tranfusion – 2 units of red blood cells and a 12 pack of plasma. Both hemoglobin and platelets were low. It took most of the day so I had to go back to Frankfort and get several things done on a house we sold that afternoon. When I got back he was short of breath and had been for a while. They did a chest xray, ekg and some more...

For me quality of life is much more important than quantity. It is the same for my Dad. I wonder what makes some people want quantity regardless of quality? It sort of made me think of that case in Florida a few years ago. If anyone is reading this – what would you choose? Quality? Quantity?

This past week we confirmed that my Dad’s disease has changed in to Acute Leukemia. There are treatments for this, however, they only provide quantity of life not quality of life. My Dad has always been an active person and really isn’t interested in prolonging his life if it just means laying in bed in pain for feeling sick from the treatments. I...