さようなら、爺さん

The morning started with busy and tiring house cleaning and cooking to greet my parents and my sister that is supposed to stay for a week. I was terribly exhausted when I heard a phone ringing from my cousin in Perth, it relayed something that I have not expected. My grandfather has died... For a moment, I was not able to think, my mind was filled with uneasiness and confusion, while I was walking around the house frantically. I tried to contact my parents, but they were unreachable as they were still in the plane, enroute from Sydney to Melbourne. As soon as they landed, I broke the news to them and they speed to my home. Arriving at my place, all of our phones were showcasing their ringtones with non stop performance and I was rushing to find tickets for them. It was such a hectic one hour, before finally managed to get tickets and they left speeding for the airport. I haven't met them for 10months and when I got the chance, I only managed to see them for an hour and as the day passed, an evening turned into night, the feeling is so surreal, I feel like living in a dream.

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My grandfather has been sick for a long time, he has prostate cancer and about 10 years ago he had surgery to remove the prostate, had cancer treatment, and after a while his cancer was deemed as cured. However, 2.5 years ago he collapsed at home and went into comma for several days. At the time, the doctor said that the cancer was raging again inside his body, but this time it was already spreading. We never thought that he would survived that time, but he did. He came out from the hospital, but he wasn't able to walk and was bedridden until his death. We have to employ two nurses full time to look after him 24/7. During his 2.5 years life on the bed, I only managed to see him once, during my 2004 christmas holiday and despite his condition, he has a very strong memory. He remembered his children's and grandchildren's birthdays, he is aware of what's going on about him. His struggle and fight is something that I always admire. On his final week, he started to have fever and his condition is deteriorating. My parents was reluctant to leave him, as his condition getting worst and we just expect that it was just a normal fever, but it wasn't. It was his last...



Sayonara, jii san....