The End of a Battle, but the War Goes On…

James Preston Tyerman passed away yesterday, Friday November 19, around noon. It was just 9 days after his 63^rd birthday.

My dad always hated hospitals so it is wonderful he didn’t spend his last moments there. He was in the living room in his wheelchair. Josh, Mom, and Aunt Linda were all there.

Roberta from Hospice came over within 5 minutes of my mom’s call to check his vitals to make sure he had gone to a better place and help with preparations.

This past week was a progressive decline… Just five days before I was here and he was still walking, with assistance. Since then he became bedridden. Friday was a rough morning - he was very weak, refused oxygen, and just couldn’t seem to get warm enough.

I am so relieved he is not suffering in such great pain anymore. It is not a way to live. We are happy he was at home, although this was a struggle for the family too.

We plan to spread his ashes over the sand dunes when the weather is better – perhaps in April. We might have an informal memorial service sooner …details to come. I am still going to put together the aforementioned "memory book."

I can’t believe this all happened in only about a year. Cancer is a terrible disease that should be a “war” we are spending energy, time, & money on, instead of these other dishonorable, futile wars. The hardest thing to watch is how cancer sucks the vitality from a person, especially someone that had so much verve.

My father’s strength will live on in us and his spirit will not be forgotten…