My father went to be with the Lord on November 18th, 2008. It was the worst day of my life, but a relief for my Dad who had been suffering too much for too long. He was denied the lung transplant and was taken off of the life saving equipment on November 17th, he passed away a day later surrounded by family. My brother helped him every step of the way.
He died of something called Alpha One deficiency. It is a rare, genetic disorder that doesn't allow your lungs and liver to function properly. It dramatically reduces your lifespan and there is not cure and the only treatments are experimental. Unfortunately, my brother and I have been diagnosed with Alpha One as well. If my father hadn't suffered so long and fought so hard, he would have never been properly diagnosed and we would have never known. With this knowledge at our young ages, my brother and I will be able to do preventative care and will qualify for a lung transplant if needed because we knew in time. My Dad was diagnosed way too late and he was so incredibly sick. He was 49. In the last year of his life he had the most amazing relationships with his love, Bernadette, and was very close to my brother, Bill. He became incredibly close to friends and his mother. He became a Believer and he changed the course of many of our lives. His fight touched many, many nurses, dr's, etc.
I have seen God's work through my Dad the past year and all the miracles that happened. He accomplished more in his last year than many do in a lifetime. I miss him terribly.
To learn more about Alpha One, you can go to: http://www.alphaone.org/
Here is a picture of my siblings at my Dad's funeral, it was a beautiful, hopeful celebration, just the way my Dad wanted it. (left to right, me, Bill, Melissa)
