The perfect metaphor

During the last week of this past August my Dad found out he had Colorectal cancer. But as he awaited treatment details in the subsequent month and a bit since being diagnosed, the less dire everything seemed to be. His doctor’s weren’t rushing back to him with any news. And when they finally did, they were pretty confident their prescribed treatment — being major surgery — while still very serious, would eradicate the issue. I gathered he just wanted it over with. Dare I say it, we all did?

Then along came the day prior to Hallowe’en, the day of his surgery. While it ran long, it was successful. However his initial recovery was slow. And the following Tuesday morning, while involved in his “physio,” if I may label it as such, he had what his doctor labelled a “cardiac event.”

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking to place blame on anyone. But everyone involved in his care after this occurring wasn’t entirely clear on what had happened. Or what was continuing to unfold. His doctor being chief among “everyone.” Point being, “why” is no longer a question I’m particularly interested in asking anymore. I’d much rather focus on the way in which my Dad handled things which he was dealt. Whether it was how he immediately put his entire life on hold when I needed an advocate, or how he passed from this world.

Continue reading The perfect metaphor

It Needs to Stop!

I haven’t much of anything interesting to say (not that I ever do), regarding the events that occurred on this day in 1989. But I couldn’t let this day pass without, in the very least, mentioning it’s significance.

Today, sadly, marks the 21st anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. Marc Lépine, “armed with a legally obtained Mini-14 rifle and a hunting knife,” walked into Montreal’s École Polytechnique and “shot twenty-eight people [killing fourteen women, while injuring ten more women and four men, all in an attempt to “fight feminism”] before killing himself…”

Continue reading It Needs to Stop!

The Honour Is Entirely Mine

Me with my Grandfather

Back in October of 2008, my Grandmother, sadly, passed away, after a rather nasty, not to mention, lengthy fight with Alzheimer’s Disease. And, in response to that loss, I wrote a piece, titled The World Has One Less Hero. And as much as it pains me to write this, this has to be done. The world is, now, two down. This past Sunday night my Grandfather passed.

First, speaking of my Grandmother, what struck me as so remarkable about her service, in particular, was, following the proceedings, I was approached by a few members of my extended family, with comments on how amazed they were I addressed her being Deaf. For they never considered that fact much. And while, at first, I wasn’t quite sure where those comments sat with me, upon further analysis, it was so true. They were a part of our family first. Everything else was just second, if not, third nature. Or, better still, how they happened to differ wasn’t anything our family spent time thinking about. Signing was as natural as talking. The world should be so lucky…

Continue reading The Honour Is Entirely Mine