In Loving Memory

Exactly one week before my birth date, and one year ago of today, back in July 3 2006, my father passed away of the age of 67.

Two weeks before his death, on a Saturday morning, I came back home from work to know that he's not feeling well. He had diabetes so he took his medication and went to sleep. Later that day I got back home only to know that my elder brother had taken my father to the hospital. I called my brother and he told me father is in I.C.U. and will remain there under observation until they find out what is wrong with him.

For three days in I.C.U. my father was unconscious but slowly recovering from whatever he had. On the fourth day he woke up and was transfered to stomach ward (Gastroenterology?) and on the fifth day he was feeling much better. Me and my two brothers took night shifts staying with our father. He remained awake in good health for four days. That was a blessing because he woke up to see all our relatives, family friends, and colleagues who have visited him during those days.

On the fifth day of being awake, on my night shift, he told me he can't breathe well. The Dr. gave him oxygen mask and plugged in some more gadgets to notice his body status, nothing was notably wrong. All night long till morning he kept removing his mask and talking to me about almost everything, giving me advices about life, telling me to take care of my mother and sisters... I asked him to put back his oxygen mask but he insisted on taking it off and told me not to interrupt. That moment I should have known that my father is dying but I couldn't force myself to believe it, I kept thinking that he'll get through this and soon will recover.

I went back home in the morning, slept until afternoon then woke up on a phone call... my father was taken to ward 10 (also known as Death Ward) in Mubarak Hospital. Me and my brothers kept on taking night shifts to stay with him although he was unconscious and plugged all over with pipes and gadgets. He remained like that until the day he passed away.

My father went into the hospital walking on foot and we took him out a dead body. The secondary cause of death was liver and kidneys failure which lead to the primary cause of death, heart failure. Still, how it all started? No one knows, not even the doctors. It was his day to leave and, hopefully not soon, we'll be leaving this world too.

Father of five, a grandfather of five. Business Administration graduate. 32 years in KUNIV till he became a manager, then another 2 years as a manager in AOU. Too old in age but very young in soul, very joyful, always smiling, always caring for those around him and rarely to be seen angry. A father everyone would love to have.

Allah yer7mah o yer7am el kel.