Over the past ten years, we've lost one close family member after another. On December 20, 2008, we lost my uncle to cancer. On October 1, 2011, My mom died of a brain hemorrhage. On july 29, 2014, my aunt (mom's sister) died of lung cancer, as well as many other lung problems. Now, it could be at any time that we could lose my dad.

He's had a myriad of lung trouble over the past year. First, we was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was treated with chemo and radiation. That got the cancer. He went for a PET scan last September. When he got home, I said, "How did it go?". He said, "Well, the cancer is still gone.". I sensed he was leaving something unsaid. I said, "But...". He said that the PET scan showed severe COPD, and he was going to have to start using supplementary oxygen. He's been on oxygen since then. A recent PET scan showed that the cancer has begun to come back. I saw the after-visit summary the last time he went to the doctor. On the list of diagnoses, I saw cancer, COPD, severe bronchitis, low blood oxygen, and pleural effusion. All of us in the family have noticed that my dad has been deteriorating rapidly. He was looking more and more frail, and had lost a lot of weight. I saw that he was eating less and less, and wasn't keeping himself well hydrated. When he struggled to walk down the hallway to go to bed, his blood oxygen level would go down to 65. One more thing I noticed, too, was that he frequently switched on our heater and sat beside it. Three weeks ago, it got to the point where he couldn't get out of his recliner-rocker. Even when he tried to sit up, his blood oxygen level would go down to 72. I did all I could to help him. When I went to work, I mentioned to the boss and another co-worker about how my dad wasn't doing well. By that time, he had been lying in his recliner for five days/. My boss and co-worker immediately said, "Go right on home, and call 911.". I called 911 as soon as I got home. This was on Tuesday. The ambulance came and took him to the local hospital. He was transported to a larger hospital, where he could see a pulmonologist. The next day, Wednesday, my cousin and I went to see him. We were told that he was in the hospice unit. He's been there ever since, for the past two weeks. He's hung on there, but it's obvious that he's quickly declining. His breathing seems to be a bit calmer. He has to wear an oxygen mask now. He's responding somewhat, but it seems to be a bit less. The staff at the hospice unit said it be hours or days.

It's really a bit scary, to be faced with the loss of both parents.