Recently I experienced a
pivotal moment in my life; a devastating event that has left an inexplicably
deep wound in my heart. On September 9, 2015 I found my father in a very bad
state. Within an instant of seeing him I knew it was a 9-1-1 emergency. The Los
Angeles Fire Department arrived very quickly and rushed him to the hospital.
Not long after I arrived at the hospital an ER Neurologist showed me a scan of
my father’s brain and told me he’d had a major stroke and that it was a life
changing event. His brain was swollen and bleeding. Due to his age and medical
condition, the ER doctors could not do anything to treat the swelling. The Ischemic stroke left my father completely paralyzed and unable to properly swallow or talk.
For an entire month I watched a grown man reduced to nothingness as he laid in
a bed in agonizing pain unable to eat, drink or move and completely at the
mercy of others. There are no words to describe what if feels like to see your
father in this condition clinging to life with an uncertain future. Each time I went to see my father, I put my ear to his heart and closed my eyes to listen to his heartbeat not knowing if it would be the last time. On October
9, 2015, exactly one month from the day my father had a stroke, my father took
his last breath and his spirit ascended into heaven to be with almighty God.
Readers, if you are blessed enough to have one or
both of your parents still living, please cherish each moment with your
parents. If you have any pain or resentment from your upbringing, ask God to
heal your heart so you can fully give love to your parents. The pain of losing
a parent is indescribable.
On the last day that I saw my father, my nephew
Ben and I played a beautiful love song, All Of Me by John
Legend, at my father’s bedside. We watched in silence as my mother held my
father’s hand while the song played. I will never forget my father’s eyes as he
held my mother’s hand while listening to the music. The love in the room was
very profound.
This song is dedicated to my father Efrain and my mother Daisy.
