Sheesh! I stop posting for a few weeks and I return to find 50+ comments in my comment moderation list that can only be considered spam. I was just thinking that maybe I didn’t need moderation after all and then this mess appears. Guess I won’t be removing the moderation option any time soon.

Dad passed away at 12:25pm (Atlantic) today.  He woke up long enough yesterday for us to tell him how much we loved him.  Aunt Norah and I stayed the night with him and today he quietly slipped off.

I will not be posting again for a few days.

Dad now has a bed in the Palliative care ward. We moved from 5CN to 3BN this evening. The ward is warm and comforting. There is plenty of room to wander and be alone if you need it. There is a full kitchin and laundry suite. There are no visiting hours. We can stay 24/7 if we want. Cots can be moved into his room.

It does not look like we will be able to bring dad home – so we can bring a bit of home to him.

The nurses on 5CN have been amazing. We’ve lost track of time. We’ve lost a sense of ourselves. We’re losing dad. Through it all, they responded with increasing care and compassion. They never held us to visiting hours and let us roam around the ward gathering supplies as needed. They allowed us to share in his daily care. They provided a shoulder to cry on when needed and were quick with a much needed laugh. I will miss them.

The good: Dad was moved to a private room in the Palliative care ward.

The bad: Dad is losing his ability to swallow liquids now. It seems ice cream is one of the few things he can still eat.

The ugly: I wrote my father’s obituary today.

Technorati Tags: palliative care, hospital, death, dying, cancer

It’s too early for her obituary to be released in the paper. I don’t know who she was. I don’t know if she was a mother, child, wife or lover. I don’t know what colour her eyes or hair were. I don’t know her favourite food, music, or television show. I know only her name.

A light is burning for her in the palliative care ward. It will shine for 24 hours. The same will happen when my dad passes.

Rest in peace Ms. Estabrooks.

It’s another Red Friday today and I’m looking forward to seeing if the CFRA 580 rally on Parliament Hill today makes the evening news here in New Brunswick. It’s already found mention on the front page of Canoe, the Toronto Star, and CBC.ca. Photos from the rally can be found at Autonomous Source.

I wish I could have been there.

If I’d had half a brain this morning, I would have remembered that my new boss (thank goodness she’s much like the odd boss) works out of Ottawa. I could have reminded her about the rally.

Alas, my brain turned to mush and seeped out my ears months ago.

The hubby is off on exercise at CFB Wainright so the only red he’ll be wearing is on the flags velcro’d to the side of his combats. I hope he’s at least got decent weather. I am just too lazy to try and look it up online today.

Good News: Dad is at the top of the list for a bed in the palliative care unit. It’s only an 8 bed unit, so there’s a waiting list to get into it. They work with pain and symptom management. They think there may be a bed available for him to be transferred to the unit sometime this weekend.

Bad News: In order for the bed to be available for dad to move to palliative care, someone else has to leave the unit. There are three ways this could happen. The most obvious is that the patient dies. It’s also possible that if their heath improves, but they’re not well enough to go home, they can be transferred to another wing in the hospital. Finally, a person can go home, freeing up a bed. Let’s keep our fingers and toes crossed that the reason a bed is projected to be available soon is option 2 or 3.

Secrets to share: I have never been to Ottawa. I have travelled throughout the US, Mexico, sections of Europe (Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, Germany, Spain, France) and Asia (India, Japan, Hong Kong, Phillipines). I’ve even lived in Ontario. I have not once made the trip to my nation’s capital. If I make it to Kingston for Sean and Kim’s wedding, I really should consider taking the drive to Ottawa and wandering around.

Technorati Tags: red friday, rally, support the troops, Ottawa, palliative care