Out living our ancestors

This week I passed a significant milestone. I passed the age my dad died at. I'd had the date in my head for some time.

My dad outlived my uncle by a couple of months. Looking back over our family tree no male antecedent had made it as far as dad. Grandad, greet uncles, great great grandads etc all gone often well before the 59 years 10 months and 4 days dad got to.

My late cousin made 62 before he sadly passed away from cancer early in the covid-19 lockdown. My brother is setting a family all comers record now above 63 despite his internal defib causing some hospitalisations.

Now I'm passed Dad it is weird - how the hell have I managed to get here?

As they say "carpe diem".

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Grateful4you · M

My dad died from melanoma the easiest cancer to cure but the deadliest if not caught in time. It metastisized before any of us knew he had the cancer

OldBrit · 61-69, M

@Grateful4you My Dad was heart attack just following hip replacement surgery. My Uncle was a combination of factors but essentially in the end heart failure. My Grandad was heart failure whilst ill with TB. My great uncle it was a shell in WWI. My Great Grandfather was probably stroke.

There's a pattern it has to be said.

My brother has survived two heart failure episodes, now he has a permanent defib thing fitted in his chest.

My cousin bucks the trend - he fought bowel cancer from his early 40s until he finally decided to refuse further treatment one day.

Grateful4you · M

@OldBrit I'm so sorry for your losses. My dad was also my hero so his death h hit me pretty hard. Since mom never wanted children dad had to assume both roles. He was a good man and a great role model for me.

OldBrit · 61-69, M

@Grateful4you My Dad was this figure who I rarely saw growing up. He left for work at dawn, got back after we'd all eaten etc. Would eat his dinner that was kept for him and then go outside to work in the shed or the garden. I only really got to know him the year before he died. I was on the final year of my training course and had to take my diploma exams so was at home a lot revising etc. just after he'd retired I was just getting to know him when literally a few days after getting my results and my first permanent job he died.

Grateful4you · M

@OldBrit That is just so sad. Makes me even more grateful for having the dad I had. His great sense of humor, sense of adventure, a childlike sense of wonder. A great humanitarian he would spend hours rescuing a stranded cat. He had wonderful friends in the movie colony of Palm Springs Ca. whether it was Gene Autry or some broken down wino, dad had a hug, a joke, for anyone who happened by.

He made a ton of money and spent even more, dollars were just a way to make a down trodden wino happy for a time.