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Health & Fitness

Eulogy For a Father Who Refused to Take Care of His Health

Sharing one woman's letter to her late father.

On April 27th, 2008, our family had planned to attend a St. Louis Cardinal baseball game and then a dinner at restaurant to celebrate my daughter's 27th birthday. Instead of a celebration, my family spent the day at Missouri Baptist Hospital watching as staff worked to revive me. Things do not always go as planned. One year later, on my daugher's 28th birthday, she asked if we could celebrate her birthday by eating dinner at Bristols. I will never forget her embrace as I walked in. She then handed me the biggest bunch of flowers I have ever seen! My presence was her birthday gift!

I recently wrote a book called Live To Dance. I end the book by saying I have learned that what your loved ones really want for their birthdays, graduations and weddings is to spend them with you. My book is called Live To Dance because one year later, I lived to dance at my daughter's wedding.

I am a speaker for the American Heart Association. Heart disease takes far too many of us in our country. This disease deprives us of the people we love. One brave young woman shared with me that her father died at a young age from heart disease. She begged him to take care of himself. He refused to eat healthy or exercise. Amber said that I could share these words with you.  

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Dear Dad,

Mom called me and told me what happened on Sunday. I was completely shocked. When I rushed over to be with her, it was so surreal.  Your van was parked in the driveway. When I walked in through the front door, I was expecting to see you sitting at your laptop or watching tv. Instead, the house was buzzing with people talking in hushed tones. At that moment as I began to tear up, I realized that every time I've come back home, you were always there.

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You are a person that lived out loud. You were alway listening to music, playing games or had the tv turned on. And we all know that no one in this family talks with an "indoor voice". Since you've been gone, the house has a deep silence. When all the hustle and bustle dies down, that is when we all truly feel the lack of your presence.

Dad, it wasn't supposed to happen this way. You were supposed to walk me down the aisle, see Dan walk across to receive his diploma, and witness your granchildren's first steps. You weren't supposed to leave us so soon.

While helping Mom with these preparations, I've been thinking a lot about the future. What will Christmas feel like without you there? What about Father's Day? Will I always have a heavy heart when I hear certain songs on the radio? What about Mom? A life with you is all she ever knew.

...................

Take care of yourself for the ones that love you.

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