The following blog is written by WEWS Managing Editor Jim Scott sharing his experiences about his father who is dying of cancer.

Jim will provide daily updates.

You may e-mail him your comments.

Previous Blogs: Entry One | Entry Two | Entry Three | Entry Four | Entry Five | Entry Six

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First thing, “Happy Father’s Day” to all of you dads out there. In spite of everything, I’m going to have one of the best ever. It’s probably going to be the last I celebrate with my Dad, so you can imagine how special this day is to me. I’ll share one part of our day with you, the rest is our private time alone. Later I’ll take some time and be a Father. I know my four kids have something special planned for me. They always do.

Pop likes it when I shave him. It’s one of the few things that we can do together these days, and it’s one of the things that takes me back to days gone by. As I push that Norelco electric around his cheeks and chin I flash back to the time when he showed me how to shave. We didn’t have electric razors in our house. We did it the old fashioned way with cream and a heavy razor blade gizmo.

I can remember wanting to shave so badly, and Pop telling me that I’d regret it one day. He was right. Once you starting cutting hair off your face, it just keeps growing back longer and stronger. Funny how parents always end up being right. Too bad most of us let decades pass before we realize it.

We now know why he’s having trouble eating and swallowing. Hospital tests showed a growing bone spur on one of the vertebra in the neck. It’s pushing against the esophagus making it difficult to swallow. His diet is now liquid, but not normal liquids. Everything is thickened. Pop hates this stuff, (no taste he says) but there’s little we can do about it now. I asked his nurse if mom could cook something and puree’ it in a food processor? The answer was no.

Surgery could fix this throat problem, but the doctor said it’s a very difficult operation and that it’s doubtful any surgeon would touch it because of his terminal condition, his age, and conditions of Pop’s Living Will. He has a “Do Not Resuscitate” order signed, and specified that he’s not to have a feeding tube.

That part of it is hurting my mom deeply, but I’ve reminded her that it’s his wish. He doesn’t want to suffer through anything that’s long and drawn out. When it’s his time, he says he’ll accept it.

So anyway, back to this special day. I hope that you can spend this time with your Dad. If you can’t be there then get on the phone, or e-mail him. If your relationship isn’t that good, then fix it, TODAY!

Jim

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