'Even though he was a heavy drinker and we would nag him to cut down, medical professionals had never asked him to stop drinking – he appeared to be pretty healthy'
‘You need to come to the hospital because your dad isn’t well, we will meet you there,’ my mum said to me over the phone while I was at university in 2001.Metropolitan University – and we raced to the hospital. Strange as this may seem, we were laughing and joking most of the way there that he’d probably fallen drunk and banged his head. He had experienced a few drunken scrapes before so we weren’t unusually worried.
After we first arrived at that hospital and were told we might lose our father, we were stunned, felt guilty for laughing about it and obviously very worried. My dad had never even had a single health warning so this was a shock. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis – which is where the cells of the liver start to degrade and the liver becomes thickened and inflamed – due to chronic and prolonged alcohol damage and diabetes type two, which could be controlled by diet. He would be OK if he didn’t drink and he’d have a good chance of surviving two to five years and living a high-quality life.
When I got to 18 and was old enough to drink legally, it was strange because I had already been allowed to have wine with my meal at home and the odd lager shandy – so it didn’t feel like a big deal. Plus, I had been drinking cider and alcopops on the street with my friends most weekends for years. He really was living his best life and I was incredibly proud of him. It felt like a huge relief that he was no longer drinking and I could see him reaching his potential every single day – he was learning new things, going to places he wanted to go and he had patience and ambition again. He lived every day like it was his last on Earth because he knew it might be.
A few months later, I went home to visit and my dad had visibly deteriorated. His voice sounded strange and he was weary. He was only 63. When I left him to go back to Cyprus for my final term there, he told me our hug might be ‘the last hug’ I’d get. I didn’t believe it.The day after I returned to Cyprus – almost 10 years after he first went into hospital – my mum called to tell me my dad had died of a heart attack. I fell to my knees and sobbed like a baby.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How to live longer: The cholesterol-lowering drink that ‘significantly’ boosts longevityTHE LIFE-PROLONGING qualities of fruits and vegetables are well known, with most of them attributable to the presence of phytochemicals. But one fruit, in particular, has proven particularly apt at lowering high cholesterol and boosting longevity.
Read more »
Queen attends royal double christening at WindsorThe monarch attends the ceremony for two great-grandchildren, days after returning to public duties.
Read more »
Dementia: One drink may age the brain by ‘11 years’ when consumed more than twice dailyDEMENTIA is a devastating condition that hampers memory, threatening the independence of its sufferers. Fortunately, much can be done to prevent the degradation of cognitive health. One drink should be avoided altogether to prevent brain decline.
Read more »