In September 2000 Dad took sick and had to go to the hospital, this is where they found that his thyroid was swollen, and so he was admitted for test.  He was at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for over a month.  They determined that he had Thyroid Cancer .  It had spread into his lungs and really there was nothing left to do, but take him home and make him comfortable.

A week before Christmas, the surgeon called, to let us know that he had reviewed Dad’s paper work, and thought that he could do the surgery successfully, and that Dad would have a 50% chance at another 4 or 5 years with us.  He didn't want the surgery, but I wasn't taking that.  I really pushed and pushed to get him to agree.  Finally he did. 
Alex went in for surgery Dec. 26 2000. The surgery was successful the Dr. said, they removed all of Dads thyroid, and got some of the Cancer out of his lungs.  Alex had a side effect from the anistic when he woke up he was someone else.  He was paranoid that the nurses were trying to kill him, he didn't know where he was most of the time, and he was angry all the time.  This was very scary, he had to go and medicine to pretty much make him unconscious  He would need to follow up with radiation treatments, 32 of them.  This would let me keep him another 4 or 5 years.   Dad started treatment at the Cross Cancer Center.

The treatments were a full course of radiation on his neck and chest, 32 treatments in all, from Monday through Friday, they ended May 2001.  During this time Dad received help from the members at the Christen Reformed Church and the volunteer drivers  many were patients themselves of the Cross.  Dad befriend many people, Henry and Bill were the ones who stay on top of Dads day to day needs giving me a helpful hand.

On June 28th 2001 Dad went to get out of his chair and fell.  He waited many hours before phoning me to tell me that he could not walk.  I called him an ambulance to take him to the University Hospital.  They found that he had pneumonia, and they were going to admit him till that was gone. 
Then they did a bone scan, because Dad was still complaining about pain in his hip, and that is when they found the fracture, and Cancer in the bone, they also found what they thought, was another Cancer tumor in his throat, that is why he had pnemonia, he was getting fluid, in his lungs every time he ate or drank anything. 
For his safety he had to stop taking things by mouth.  The Dr.'s couldn't tell me why the radiation did not work, and they couldn't tell me how long he would have with us, but they did have to operate to fix the hip, so Dad wasn't in pain.  They weren't sure if Dad would make it through the operation because of the tumor in his throat.  So we all prayed and sure enough, being the fighter that Dad is, he pulled through. 

Now with the surgery over, we can put our attention to the Cancer that was now raging through his body..
Fortunately, it had not affected his brain, but it was every where else in his body, and all they could do was keep him comfortable until he passed away.  In the second week of August, I contacted the rest of the family and told them the news.  On August 15, his younger brother Joop, flew in from the States, and his nephew Mike from Tabor Alberta, came in to be with him.  The Dr. had given Dad some medication to open up his throat a little bit more and it worked really well for him and for the 3 days that Joop stayed, they were able to talk and reminise about the old days.

I had to make the hardest decision in my life, to stop all medications, and let him pass quietly.  They kept giving him morphine to control the pain, and a week later, My Dad, passed away on August 26th 2001.

Dad was cremated and sent home to Orillia, the City he loved so much.  He was laid to rest at the St Andrews Cemetery, beside his Mother and Father.
 

Return to main page