My Life : My Father's Purpose In Life

Although, I was an adult and college was supposed to be preparing me for the real world, it did not prepare me to take care of my own father, let alone anyone else. Above all, in the moment of that diagnosis, the duty of caring for another person became a part of my life. I had become responsible for someone else—responsible for my role model, for my father. What was once a “nerve-racking” responsibility evolved into a motivating

A phenomenal, strong, and intelligent woman. I introduce myself in such ways because I am a daddyless daughter, however being a daddy-less daughter does not define who I am. It does not take away the hard work, and achievements I have encountered in my 20 years of living.

It was the winter of 2013; I could hear the beat of my heart get louder and louder as I was anxiously waiting to hear back from the doctor. Not a second went by that I was not praying for my dad’s life. Finally, a kindhearted nurse practitioners walk in the door to give us the latest update on my dad’s condition. Her optimistic words and positive attitude gave me every ounce of hope I needed to cling onto. My dad was fighting for his life in the operating room. This was his second open heart surgery caused by a rupture mitral valve. The urgency of the situation was intensified by the backflow of blood to his lungs. My family and I had no other choice but to consent to the risky operation that had only a fifty percent survival possibility. Prior to the heart attack that left him in critical state he had given up on doctor prescribed medication and instead turned to herbal therapy. He was consuming some unusual looking liquid contained in big amber bottle that he had brought back from Pakistan. Upon asking he expressed his frustration in complying with his doctor prescribed heart regimen. He said he found ease in taking the liquid herbs and also felt much better without all the side effects. At the time I tried my best to convince him of the danger of discontinuing his heart medication but all in vain. After the nightmare we all went through, he has promised to comply with his medication. He nonetheless still constantly complains about the side effects he experiences and

The happiest, most exciting memories I hold on to are often accompanied by a country song, whether it be playing in the background, or roaring over the speakers. Songs are written for people to feel and relate to the emotion the songwriter and singer put behind the lyrics. Growing up having my dad be my role model and most influential person in my life, I often find myself in things that remind me of him or our memories, along with songs that describe a girl who is fearless and lives on the edge at times, as if there are no consequences. For me, this is especially true listening to the song “She Ain’t Right,” by Lee Brice, which highlights my personality and strength I got from my dad, my sense of fearlessness, and my constant seeking out of adventure.

I believe in my shotgun, because it teaches me that I can find success by overcoming the challenges that come my way.

As early as childhood, I have been surrounded by wonderful role models that have influenced my talent of taking care of people. Though my grandmother, aunt, and sister are all nurses and have been role models through this journey, I know that my greatest inspiration to choose a profession of healing was my grandfather. Memories of my greatest companion flood my mind. Old age came with very few repercussions for him, as my grandfather was a strong man. His longevity surprised many in the healthcare field as he lived to ninety-nine on Cheetos, salt, and lack of anything green. I believe his long life was attributed to his daily exercise and loving wife. My grandfather was nearly indestructible, which is why the decline in his health took everyone by surprise. It all started with a case of pneumonia discovered by me at the young age of twelve. I saw my grandfather’s face turn blue and helplessly I screamed for my mother in confusion and fear. For the following months, I assisted my grandmother and mother in taking care of all my grandfather's need. I would watch as he would take medication upon medication and question why his health was still declining. My faith assisted me in the acceptance of my grandfather’s death and taught me that one cannot save every patient. Sometimes the best thing, and the only thing, you can do is give love, comfort, and a hand to hold. While that lesson

In the last two years, I almost lost my dad and almost flunked out of college. Having been taking care of him and watching him slowly decline to heart disease and other obesity related diseases, I finally checked him into the hospital. Going in for open heart surgery at age 72 and 428 pounds with type two diabetes, his chances of survival were slim. I will never forget his words to me before he went in for the surgery. "Don't worry about me, you haven't graduated from college, so I can't die yet". Even though he barely survived his surgery, the post complications are even more troublesome than before. With my dad receiving professional help, I am free to pursue my long desired education. I got myself out of academic dismissal and finally

My father is profoundly wise in the topic of athletics. He knows more ways to get stronger, faster, or even more flexible than anyone I have ever encountered. Putting this knowledge with my determination, we made a rigorous workout plan that we would do at home every single night. One note to make, is that my dad was not forcing me to do these workouts in any way. He asked me if I still wanted soccer to be as exhilarating as it was when I was younger, then I needed to put the time in to my craft every day. Soccer is in my blood, and I was not ready to give it up yet. The workouts were composed of mile runs on the treadmill, medicine ball exercises, and leg strengthening drills. After the preliminary week of this aspiring effort to to achieve

Have you ever wondered who these people are that keep you safe everyday? My dad was one of them. He was in the Michigan State Police for twenty-seven years. He has helped save the lives of many people.He started working in the MSP even before he met my mom. He eventually married her and was working nights.He worked everynight to protect us. You. Everyone. Every night, when you were asleep, he was out working. Working to protect you. When he had a kid, my brother Logan, he was still working nights. He had to move from place to place, taking his family with him so he could do his job. When something bad happened, he was there to protect you. Even when you wanted to hide in your house and not come out, he was there to protect you. My dad is an amazing person. This is why my dad is my Michigan Hero.

My dad was laying in bed just scrolling through his phone. When his phone started to ring. He read the name and it said, “Erika”. Erika never calls my dad, unless it is an emergency. He then answered, and she just started talking so fast. She said, “Ray woke up for work and was in a rush. I heard him keep running into the walls in the hallway. So, i jumped out of bed and went into the hallway. I asked him what was wrong, and he said I don't know. He then passed out.”

"Never forget the past…because it may haunt you forever. Regret all the bad things…cherish the good things. Look ahead always…but don't let the bad things from the past get in your mind." As a young child, there were so many incidents in my life that made me become the person I am today. There were rough times as well as good times. If I were to tell you all of them, I would remember half of them. I think some of my incidents really had some impact, and some were just simple ways of life. To tell you the truth, the incident that had the most impact on me has to be when my real father left me at the age of three. I never knew my father. I mean being a baby, you really have no experience or recognition of somebody else.

If there was one thing that my father made sure I experienced from a young age, it was hard work. When he first traveled to this country, the only thing to his name was his suitcase and a handful of money. Shortly after when I was born, he worked from the ground up to ensure I had a good upbringing. When I graduated high school, he didn't have the money to send me to college, and I didn't want to be snared by student loans, so I had to find another way. I wanted to work for everything that I earned, so I joined the military.

One Friday night, my dad and I were sitting around the fire talking about all of grandpa’s past memories. I will never be able to forget this story. In my future, I can only hope my love story will be this good.

The snow dyed red from blood as my dad laid unresponsive,with a laceration to the head, while I looked at him in shock because I didn’t know what had happened. A minute and a half had gone by and the scene was crowded by a dozen red jackets with reflective white crosses on their backs. About seven minutes later there was no trace that anything had ever happened. I had just witnessed a first response team take my dad down the mountain in a toboggan at the speed of a racer. I realized how if everything had not occurred the way it did I might not have my dad today. Ever since that moment I realized how much I want to help people in distress and possibly save lives. Now I find myself only a few months away from having a cross of my own on my

The hardest time in a person's life is often following the death of a close family member. Death is hard, losing someone you love and see on a daily basis causes great grief and sorrow. For me that special person I lost was my Dad. My father died when I was twelve and it was no doubt the hardest time of my life. Our relationship was indescribable I was his little buddy and we went absolutely everywhere together, and when he died it was like he just disappeared from my life forever. As a young boy you really do not know how to react to such a terrible situation. Neil Ibrahim a father of four dies young and it's just you and your brother left to carry the family name. Throughout the grieving process one learns who really cares about his or hers well being and the upbringing of their children without a father, losing your father makes you more responsible and a more humble person because you are all they left behind.