[DianaB]

My Dad passed away yesterday morning. He had emphysema which was getting worse and he had to stay on oxygen all the time because his breathing was so bad. Early yesterday morning we had a storm that came through town and the electricity went off. His oxygen pump was electric and it must not have had a battery pack (I'm not sure exactly what happened) to kick on when the electricity went off. Anyway a neighbor went over to check on him when the storm quieted down, but it was too late. I spoke to Dad's girlfriend and she told me that the day before was a good day for him and that he was joking and having a fun time. That really helped knowing that. I really am doing ok. He was in and out of the hospital so we had time to say our "I love you's". It hurts that I wasn't with him when he went, but I guess that it wasn't meant to be. My Mom and Dad were divorced and I have only one brother, who lives out of town, so all of the decisions are pretty much up to me. My brother's here to help but he's pretty much no help. Dad didn't own anything much so as far as splitting everything up there won't be any problem. I think of all of you as my friends and I just wanted "my friends" to know that I was having a rough day.