Drumbledore's Father

[Markadiddle]

Even though I know our good friend Drumbledore is now gone from the board, I'd just like everyone to keep him, his mom and the rest of his family in your thoughts. His dad is in hospice care and they don't think he has much time left.

We're all here for you Michael. I sure wish you'd come back. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we all miss you, your knowledge and your friendship.

[FlyByNight]

Very sad to hear about his father. If there was any time for him to come back, it would be now. The members of Drumchat will support him.

[cabasner]

Very sad to hear about his father. If there was any time for him to come back, it would be now. The members of Drumchat will support him.

Agreed.

[Pearl MCX Man]

Sorry to hear about Michael's father and I wish him the best. Michael we miss you around here m8 if you read this please come back we miss you my Aussie friend.

[Ricardo]

We're all here for you Michael. I sure wish you'd come back. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we all miss you, your knowledge and your friendship.

Hey diddle-diddle............
Thanks for posting this................+1.

[myk]

Such a hard time in life,stay strong Michael..prayers for you and your family

[Russ]

Didn't know he left, that's a bummer. Can't say I blame him for taking time off to be with the family though, i'd probably do the same in his position. You only get so long to do so much, gotta make every second count. Before you know it, the show's over and you gotta go onto to the destination. If you're one of the lucky ones, you go to that next place knowing you did all you could here, in this place where you stand - and that's what gives the life you were given it's meaning. Make each day dance.

[Olimpass]

Thanks for the info Mark.

Very sad to hear about your father, Drumbledore/Michael.
Prayers to you and family. You know we love ya 'round here.

[SpazApproved]

Best wishes!

[Russ]

[late8]

Even though I know our good friend Drumbledore is now gone from the board, I'd just like everyone to keep him, his mom and the rest of his family in your thoughts. His dad is in hospice care and they don't think he has much time left.

We're all here for you Michael. I sure wish you'd come back. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we all miss you, your knowledge and your friendship.

+100...wishing you the best Michael.

[pcs90]

Very sad news. I did not know he had officially left (or the reason) but I did notice he has been gone, and he is definitely missed here.

[Markadiddle]

I just read something else Michael just posted. It doesn't sound very good. :(

"Ok, no time to explain......just got to rush off to the hospital yet again to go see Dad, his condition is deteriorating further."

Poor guy. I know he thinks very highly of his dad.

Michael, if you happen to pass by and see this thread, just know that all of us are thinking about you and your mum. Peace my friend.

Update: Just saw this on Facebook.

"Well, it is with heavy heart to announce that Dad's suffering is no more. He had passed away at 8am this morning. The hospital rang around 10 to 8am saying he was rapidly going down.....he had been more or less unconscious since Thursday when a few of went to see him, so it's sad to say, but he passed away in his sleep. It is really for all the best. Thank you each and everyone for your kind thoughts and wishes."

[FlyByNight]

Very sad news. My condolences to Michael and his family. I wasn't expecting something that quick. I offer my prayers to all.

[Bridie]

Aww, please tell drumbledore I am thinking about him and his family.
From Bridie
Hopefully he will come back one day when he feels like it?

[Pearl MCX Man]

Sorry to hear about his dad's passing. My condolences to Michael and his family.

[Drumbledore]

Even though I know our good friend Drumbledore is now gone from the board, I'd just like everyone to keep him, his mom and the rest of his family in your thoughts. His dad is in hospice care and they don't think he has much time left.

We're all here for you Michael. I sure wish you'd come back. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we all miss you, your knowledge and your friendship.

Thank you very much my brother.....I was touched that you mentioned this thread when I spoke with you late at night (late at night in my part of the world). I was going to show my face around here in DC Land earlier in the week, but, as you had found out, this week had been a rapid succession of events.....my head's still giddy from all that's happened. I just never had a chance to break the news here, so your retelling of the events to everyone here has saved me a bit of time and effort. I'm grateful for that.

A bit of a summary of events for my DC brothers and sisters. Last year in March, my Dad had a bad case of pneumonia. After getting medical attention, they examined his right lung and discovered small-cell cancer in the lower section. He was started on radiation treatment in April, 10 rounds of treatment on the lung itself, then later on after a bit of a break, 10 rounds on the brain as a preventative measure so that the cancer wouldn't spread. He responded okay to the lung treatments, and it seemed like he was slowly recovering last year, but it was once he received the rounds of radiation scans to the brain, Mum and I started noticing changes in him. This was a man that even in his retirement kept busy as an acolyte at our local Catholic Church (and later at the bigger cathedral, St. Patrick's), used to go for snooker and pool games at various local clubs with friends, ferry friends around who were less agile, go to all sorts of social functions. To then all of a sudden see him listless and tired, wanting to just rest in his fave comfy chair or the bed, losing his appetite (as he was well known for his vast knowledge of Indian, Asian and Eastern recipes, which he has shared with many), hands getting shaky, losing his balance, feeling cold a lot....we had to get him to use a walker.....it was getting harder to look after him but we managed somehow.

Then, around a few Fridays ago, I was working on stuff in the garage around 11:30pm when Mum, (who's been a dedicated nursing sister all her life and used to regulate his insulin and other medication) buzzed me on the garage's phone to come in quickly and help her with Dad. His BSL (blood sugar level) had fallen right down to 1.1, he was losing consciousness, so we quickly called a local emergency doctor (our regular one was out of reach), he hurried to give him a check, said that he had a large glucose shot ready for him, but that it would be way better to get the ambulance service. One pair of ambo workers came, but because Dad was a dead weight, they had to call on two more to lift him out of his bed. Finally he was admitted into Westmead Hospital's Emergency at 2am after he was revived a little, there were x-rays done at the emergency bed with a special x-ray machine, then he was admitted into respiratory assistance. A few days later, because of his breathing difficulties (as the cancer was spreading fast), he was transferred to the respiratory unit. We were of course a bit devastated as we knew what was coming around the corner. He had many visitors.....some he could recognise and talk with in his more lucid moments, people like those he knew from church, old customers of his back when he had a shop, good family friends, some others....I mean, this guy would talk with anyone, no wonder the whole of our local town were wishing him well! Even staff in the hospital recognised him, as in his better days he was a regular visitor, being an acolyte who'd help administer Holy Communion and prayers for the sick and seriously ill, working alongside the hospital's in-house Catholic priests. But.....a lot of the time he was in a lot of pain from the disease, so with all the morphine and pain killers administered, most of the time he'd be sleeping or semi-conscious, drifting in and out. Mum and I knew his time was coming soon.....it was a bit heart-wrenching when he'd managed to speak a bit and he would say "I want to go home.....I want to go home....." If we could have taken him home without his deteriorated condition, we would have in a heartbeat.....but how could we? Not only the fact that I'm working, but Mum isn't a young woman any more, no matter what her resolve to look after him would be, we also had to think about her health and care for her.....she'd nursed him through so much......three heart by-passes, a number of diabetic attacks, limb and back injuries, pneumonia, gout.....no, I could not have her go through that either. I think when he realised that when there was nothing further could be done for him, and that by the last week it would have been nigh-on impossible to move him to a hospice near our home......he just gave up. There was no more fight in him. In a way we are glad that he passed away in palliative care at Westmead Hospital, the staff were all so wonderful, so loving and gentle with him, they all said he was generally a good patient, although he did have his difficult moments. When he was first in, they all remarked that he was such a fighter, we looked at him and said "Yeah, ex-navy....he used to captain his boxing team on the ships, of course he was a fighter....always! And as stubborn as a mule too!" Well, when all of a sudden you see a very different man to the one you've known most of your life......it's an awful, awful feeling. But it was the end of a very full life he lead......that I'd have to do an entire online blog on, because it'd be way too much to list here what he had done and seen in his lifetime.

Thank you all for listening to me. It's been a long draining experience, taken it's toll mentally and emotionally (won't even list the problems popping up with my estranged sister.....again, another too long story). I'll be a bit flat chat.....forms to fill, people to notify, items for the funeral, sorting out things like pall bearers and who will read what......it's quite a mess of things. If you don't see me again for a while, please understand. I'm working doing my drum tuition, but the last thing on my mind right now after a day is to chat drums and so on.

Drumbledore

[DrummerD]

My sincere condolences to you and your family Drumbledore. I know this is a difficult time. I lost my father a few years ago to lung cancer and can relate to what you are going through mentally and emotionally.

[EyePea]

Drumbles; sorry to hear about this sad news. There's not much else to say other than some internet dudes on a forum actually are real people giving you a genuine and heart-felt understanding of your loss.

Thoughts are going out to you and your family at this time.

[js218]

Sorry for your loss, my deepest condolences.


Jim

[Bish]

Michael, my heart goes out to you and your surviving family.

Anything you need, reach out brother.

We are here.

[crispycritters]

My condolences for your tragic loss, I hope you and your family are coping.

[Pearl MCX Man]

Thanks, Michael for taking time from you busy schedule dealing with your dad's death etc. When you are back to normal please come back and visit us cause we do miss you around here mate.
Also thanks to Markadiddle for informing us about Michael. Without you Mark we would not know. Thanks we appreciate it.

[cabasner]

Michael,

Though I don't know you personally, I know what it is like to lose someone close to you, and a parent has to be the most difficult. I lost my mom less than 2 years ago, and it is still hard. My heart goes out to you and your family. My deepest sympathy.

[jgraham798]

Drumbledore, I fully understand what you and the family are going thru as I lost my mother to cancer and then lost my father 13 months later. I have two brothers and a sister and only my youngest brother would help me take care of daddy that las 13 months. You really can find out how crappy some people can be in those times.

I will be paying for you and your family and please know that God will give you the strength to get through all this stuff. Somedays you just feel as through you can't go on, but at those times you stop and think about all the family and friends that are there to support you.

Take care and may God Bless you and your family,

JIm