But I'm glad he made peace with himself and when we parted ways this morning, he was calm and collected, and I couldn't have wished for a more dignified way for him to leave this earth.
I never revealed much about Dad's illness because I promised Mum I wouldn't breathe a word. But now that he's no longer with us, I've nothing to hide.
Dad was diagnosed with brain cancer 7 months ago. But what really did him in was the after-effects of radiation and chemotherapy that wrecked him physically, mentally and emotionally and left him frail and feeble. It wasn't the cancer that killed him - it was his weakened immunity system that crumbled and left him with severe pneumonia.
Ever the gallant warrior, Dad put up a tough fight. It was always a losing battle, but he soldiered on until his last breath. And then we encouraged him to follow the light. Which, we strongly believe, was what he did.
In the last few hours, Dad was surrounded by loved ones. I promised him that we would accompany him in his final journey. I kept my word and watched him take his final breath.
He's in a much better place now. We will miss him dearly but we have to learn to let go. It's time to let him go even though we can't bear to do so. And that's the heart wrenching part.
We'll see you again Dad. The next time we meet, you'll be back on your feet, tucking in to your favourite Indian Rojak, Biryani, Dosa, spicy curries, red bean soup, peanut candy, satay and other sedap dishes! And chiding me for not following your advice about taking up Qi-gong and golf.
Thank you for your sound advice and (sometimes blind) faith in me. You may not have always agreed with my actions, and you never fail to tell me exactly how you feel about these (terrible) decisions, but you have been ever-so-supportive. Will miss you so so very much.
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| Teo Cher Aik, Richard 15 July 1942 - 15 March 2016 |
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