Personal Narrative : Losing My Dad

When I was a sophomore, my dad had a life changing injury. This changed how I viewed the world and life in general; I witnessed firsthand how fast life can change. It went from happy times to 30 days in an Intensive Care Unit. From being able to talk to my dad every day to seeing him in a hospital bed on life support. The steps it took for him to get where he is today, from 30 days in ICU, to another month in the trauma unit, and 2 months in rehab made me grow as a person and begin to realize the true value of life.

My dad picked me up from school that day. I felt really uncomfortable trying to ask if he had heard anything about my mom. He felt really uneasy and I knew something was up. I just thought that mom was hurt and he was trying not to alarm me. Once we got home he told me to “Sit down. I have important news to tell you.” I responded “Why do I have to sit down.” “Just do as I say” He said. I sat down pretty confused. “ Your mother is dead son. I knew how much you loved her and she meant to you.”He said. When I processed what he said my entire world came crashing

My father committed suicide after the 2008 financial crisis. He felt that the lump sum of money from his life insurance would mean we would not have to bear the weight of his debts. This left my mother to pay off what was left and raise four children (two of whom were in constant legal trouble). She put one of my brothers through flight school (costing tens of thousands of dollars). She then put my other brother through a masseuse school. She's also co-signed cars for my brother and sister meaning unknown future costs could be devastating. Worst of all though is my medical issues. Starting in middle school I experienced constant violent vomiting which even to this day affects me. It forced me to drop out and then complete highschool in three

My father passed away in 1991, two weeks before Christmas. I was 25 at the time but until then I had not grown up. I was still an ignorant youth that only cared about finding the next party. My role model was now gone, forcing me to reevaluate the direction my life was heading. I needed to reexamine some of the lessons he taught me through the years.

When he releases his hold and gets up off the bed, I cough. "Thought you said I couldn't fool you with that." I grate out with a smile. His smile relents a little, but then he just stares at me. His eyes rake all over my body and back up to my heavily exposed cleavage that this dress gives me. My skin crawls and I attempt to change the subject.

Imagine, getting over stage 3 cancer, losing your only son, losing your grandfather, and losing your father, in only two years. How would you deal with that? My aunt, my father's sister went through more in her life so far, than anyone I know. How she got through it? only with her strong emunah and strength of spirit did she survive it.

I marched out of the school with my younger brother after a insipid day. Everyone was having conversations about what they are going to do over the weekend and what wild and insane event had taken place in their classroom. As I trotted across the crosswalk, I had my last words with my friends and other fellow students. I was taking the regular path home, keeping my head down, until I noticed my dad’s silver, slick sedan.

My father passed away when I was 14 while in Nigeria for a business trip. When we received the news, my mother and I were in our home and our family came to deliver the news to us. My mother was devastated and stopped eating for a while after she found out. Moreover, my brother was not home when we found out. When he returned home, the

“Ma’am, we’re going to need you to step back so we can work.” One of the men said to her using a strong tone.

This is what biking means to me. This is a simple moment but in my mind it’s quite complex. How it makes me disappear and how i feel quiet, and calm. My moment is biking down a big hill.

In 2005, it was 75 degrees in Tampa, Florida and my dad, sister, and I were at the beach. I was only eight years old and I felt relaxed. Growing up in Florida was tough because it was only my dad that took care of us. Every morning he wakes up at 6 A.M, makes his coffee, wakes my sister and I up, makes breakfast, and bring us to day care. Since my mom was not around it was difficult for him, being a single parent trying to make means for his family. Just like in “Aunt Alice vs. Bob Marley,” Kareem Kennedy’s aunt describes her parents as “hard workers.” She said, “Mom didn’t have to work, but she chose to work because she wanted to make sure we had everything. They always made sure we had a decent meal.”

Have you ever lost a close one, friends, family? Once you experience a loss, everything changes. It’s a life changing experience, it’s the worst feeling in the world. When losing someone, you look back and have so many regrets. You start to think “Could I have been a better person for them?”. It’s permanent, once they are gone, they are gone.

I was in like 7th or 8th grade. One night, my mom comes and asks to pack for a night and get my shoes on. I ask her where we’re going. She wouldn’t tell me, so I didn’t get ready to go anywhere. Then my dad comes down and they start arguing. Earlier that day, my dad had drank like 2 beers while me and him were cleaning out our garage. We were going through some cabinets and there were bottles of alcohol in one. My dad took them inside to hide them inside because her and one of her friends had gotten drunk one night and her friend hit his head and fell down his steps. So as he was carrying them inside, my dad dropped one of the bottles and it fell down our step. Luckily it didn’t break. My dad and brother were arguing over something earlier

My dad and I had a pretty good relationship with each other. We even set up days that we would have a Daddy Daughter Date. I loved to go to those dates with him. We would get all dressed up, me in a fancy dress and him be in a suit and tie. We would always go to a sushi restaurant, because that is the type of food that I loved to eat the most then. He didn’t like sushi as much as me, but for me, he would take us there, every time. After we ate a very fancy dinner, we would hop back in the car, and go to the Saline High School. In there, every month or so, they held a “Daddy Daughter Dance”. I loved to go there with him. All of my friends were there too. Even my friend Kellie.

Yet for all our fantasies and vivid imaginations, none of us could really satisfactorily imagine how he looked — not until one afternoon when the wind from the west began its piercing song, and the convulsing dust covered rooftops and the west skies turned a crimson red. As I was ready to leave our back alley and flee the horror of the red sky, Martin appeared in the alley with a whirlwind of dust dancing about him. He was awfully small — much smaller than any of us had ever imagined him to be. And when I saw how thin he was, I thought to myself how very appropriate was the rhyme we had created. Not only was he small, but he was unbelievably skinny. Yet, strangely enough, right in the middle of this thin and frail body was an enormous