November 26
November 26 is an emotional day for me that I will never forget.
25 years ago, my dad suddenly passed away from a heart attack. I still clearly remember that evening. We had a delicious Thanksgiving feast at our neighbor’s house and returned home. My parents were preparing to leave the following morning for a wedding in North Carolina. I had the sudden urge not to be home. I begged my mom to come with me to watch a Bollywood movie, “Soldier”. My mom was a Bollywood geek and I knew she would come with me. Everything happened quickly and minutes later we were in the car. We forgot the car key and keys to the house, so i rang the door bell and my dad answered the door. I remember his smile, and my last words to him were - “good night papa, I will see you in the morning.”
During the movie, I was very uneasy and had the urge to speak to my father. I did not enjoy the movie, because I was very restless something was telling me all is not well. As soon as the movie was over we rushed home. I vividly recollect an ambulance rushing down Apopka Vineland Road and my heart said - whoever is in there I hope they are ok. I came to find out, my father was in that ambulance. Our neighborhood street was lined up with firetrucks and emergency vehicles and I thought to myself someone may have burned the turkey. As we approached our driveway there was chaos, and we were directed to the hospital.
My brother was hysterical because he tried to resuscitate our dad and knew nothing could be done. I thought he was being too emotional. I will never forget our family friends who were physicians’ faces, one look at them and knew it was not good. We entered the ER room and my father had tubes everywhere. It took me a very long time to get that image out of my mind.
Fast forward from 1998 to 2021, I was silently mourning my father’s loss and not prepared to see my mom drastically decline on this day. It was like my dad called my mom to be with him.
The morning of November 26, 2021, looking back my mom had a brief comeback where it seemed like everything was normal. She was hungry and asking for spicy fish curry. I was so happy to hear her wanting to eat, I immediately went into the kitchen. My brother arrived with his family and they spent some time with her. After they left, my mom was in an immense amount of pain. I was scared to death and did not know what to do. I was constantly calling hospice for guidance and support. I was scared to administer the morphine. My mom would scream - “help me, I am dying.” Her words gave me chills and I called my brother who is a doctor for help. He suggested the hospice nurse come and evaluate her for in-patient hospice. She was a candidate for in-patient hospice.
This was the last day my mom spoke to me. I see this day as my dad and mom reuniting shining bright in the sky.