My Dad was diagnosed with Leukaemia in Oct 2017, as a family we were shocked & very scared what this would mean for us as a family. However we all stayed positive & never gave up hope that Dad wouldn’t beat it. On dads diagnosis, our lives basically changed over-night, as Dad was very poorly when he got admitted into hospital & was given Chemo straight away. As a family we pulled together & took it in turns to visit dad regularly in hospital. With the Chemo that Dad was receiving & the wonderful doctor & nursers caring for Dad, he began to improve.

In March 2018 Dad was given a Stem Cell transplant, as this option if successful would cure Dads Leukaemia & allow him to lead a normal life again.

After receiving his Stem Cell transplant Dad had to remain in hospital & be constantly monitored, it was a nervous wait as you need to wait up to 100 days after the transplant to see if graft versus host disease occurs. This was such a difficult & exhausting time for us as all we could really do was “sit back & wait & see”. Dad was receiving this treatment in Bristol so it meant us having to travel much further to see him (which we never minded at all) & Mum had to go & live (on a temporary basis) in Bristol in accommodation provided by the NHS so she could be near Dad whilst in hospital & to be there for him to care for him when being discharged from hospital so he could remain in Bristol near to the hospital for further tests/checks/treatment etc.

Finally in June Mum & Dad were able to come home, even though Dad was still very weak & had lost a lot of weight from the Stem Cell transplant the doctors were happy for Dad to come home , & be in the comfort of his home & near his family.

It was lovely having Dad home & see him enjoy his home again, pottering in the garden, walking the dog, going out for meals together & seeing him laugh & smile. As a family we began to breath again, relax some & really thought that Dad would turn a corner & beat this once & for all.

But sadly it wasn’t mean to be; very slowly to begin with Dad started to show signs of becoming much weaker, his appetite gradually became less & less. He suffered a coupe of falls whilst at home & whilst out shopping with Mum. This made him somewhat nervous & knocked his confidence, & slowly he began to become very quite & inside himself. I believe now looking back that Dad knew deep down that he wasn’t going to conquer this. As a family however we kept hold of every bit of hope that he would.

Dad was given a Stem Cell “top-up” on the 11th of October in the hope that this would help him. Dad suffered another fall at home late October, it was so bad that my brother & I had to go & help Mum puck him up off the floor as he was even to weak to get himself up by then. As a family we decided that Dad needed to be remitted to hospital, as he was skin & bones & in our minds hospital was the safest & best place for him to be, to be cared for & given treatment to increase his strength.

So on the 25th of October 2018 a year to the day after being diagnosed Dad was remitted back into hospital. He was put on a drip to help with getting calories & nutrients into him, however Dad found it really uncomfortable & asked that it be removed. I’ll always remember seeing his dumb bells in the corner of his hospital room which he had asked to be bought in with him, as he had every intention to do some light exercise. This gave me such comfort & increased my hope as I truly believed that if Dad had asked for his weights that he might be feeling a bit stronger & more hopeful himself.

Dad never ever touched those dumb bells again, it was on day 3-4 of Dad being in hospital he was  catheterised, once he was he never left his hospital bed again & on Friday the 2nd of November my family was given the very sad & earth shattering news that Dad would not beat this & that he was slowly dying. The doctors & nursers weren’t able to tell us how long Dad had left, but just by looking at him we knew it wasn’t long. He was so so frail & tiny by then.

Dad requested that he wanted to come home & with the hard work, organisation, & dedication of all the wonderful doctors, nurses & staff  on Ward 9 at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton we got Dad home on Saturday the 10th of November at 4:00 in the afternoon.

The next day Sunday the 11th of November; Rememberance  Day at 7:45 in the evening we lost him.

Dad slipped peacefully away at home, by the conservatory where he could see his garden with me (his daughter), my brother & my Mum his Suzie all by his side, holding his hand, stroking his face & talking to him, thanking him for everything he had ever done for us, telling him how special he was to all of us & reminding him once more how much we deeply loved him & that through us he will live on.

To our Dad in heaven we all miss you everyday & until we all join you, stay by our sides & guide Mum, Kyle, & I as we continue our live's journeys. We love you always, you are constantly in our hearts and minds. Xxxxxxxxxx