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About this episode

March 7th at approximately 7:45 a.m. my husband Steve’s father passed away. His passing was expected, and it was a peaceful end to years and years struggling with a neurological disease. It was his time to go, and we are all sad, but happy for him also, since he’s now free from his broken-down body. He had been suffering from something called White Matter disease, which is a brain disease from having had whole-brain radiation to treat a brain tumor. In 1974 when he was only 24 years old he was diagnosed with a brain tumor right in the center of his brain… and back then that was the only way they had to treat it, despite the long term side effects of such treatment. At the time, the doctors gave him only 15 years maximum life expectancy. He had just gotten married to his sweetheart Nancy that same year.But Bill exceeded all medical expectations and lasted another 34 years, and raised 6 children all the way through adulthood. He got to meet his grandchildren and everything, which is something nobody ever imagined he’d be able to do. He was truly a walking miracle. Through those 34 years he had 7 or 8 brain surgeries, countless strokes, and even skin cancer many times. But through every single health obstacle, he stayed positive and fought through it. Nothing could get him down!The last year or so he had taken a turn for the worse, and was losing certain abilities one by one, as is normal with neurological diseases. First his walking, speech, and every day normality’s. It made it very hard if not impossible for him to communicate, and he couldn’t be left to fend for himself anymore… he needed constant care. Around 6 months ago he began to lose his ability to swallow. He had to be fed every meal, and could only eat things he didn’t have to swallow like applesauce or instant breakfast shakes. Then over the last 10 days his swallow mechanism stopped working completely. Friday February 27th was the last day he could intake a single drop of food or water because there was no way for him to swallow anything, and any drop that went in would only choke him. This is the typical route for those with this illness, and is what usually ends their life. Bill never wanted to be sustained by feeding tubes or anything like that, he wanted to go peacefully and naturally. He had been on home hospice for months, and thankfully was given the blessing of dying in his own home, in his own bedroom, surrounded by his entire family.We’ve been over there every single day and night for the past week at his bedside. Talking to him, telling stories and joking with him alongside all of Steve’s brothers & sisters and Mom. Even though Bill could not talk back or even react or look at us, we knew he could hear us. I know he died happy and peacefully… especially since he was so surrounded by love and all of his children and his amazing wife.I created this video/photo montage of his life for the funeral services. It’s been such a delight to look through the many phases in his life in these photos, and it’s a great way to remember such an inspiring man. Just spending a couple days with these old movies & photos & memories truly makes me feel like I know him and his family better than I ever did before... and I love them very much.

• Release Date

  Mar 10, 2009

• Runtime

  09:49