19/08/2026
Today would have been my Dad’s 80th birthday.
He wanted to make it to his birthday. Unfortunately, his body had other plans, and on August 1, he passed away.
From the time my Dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer with liver metastasis last November, I witnessed how brave and vulnerable he could be at the same time. Yes, he was afraid. But he faced his diagnosis with so much grace and courage.
After his colon surgery, when he thought he might not survive, he told me about his conversation with God. He said he was ready to go. He had lived a full life. He had seen his children and grandchildren doing well. He felt he had done what he needed to do. At that time, I told him that we will just take it one day at a time.
By God’s mercy, Dad was given almost eight more months. Those months became a gift to all of us. It was a chance to give back, to care for him, and to love even more deeply someone who had spent most of his life providing for and caring for us.
Our daily meals together, the conversations we had about his childhood and stories I had never heard before, the magic shows we watched, exercising with him, and even taking him to the cancer centre are precious moments that will forever be etched in my memory.
Being with him every day, I saw a gracious man who never allowed his illness to make him bitter. He continued to make people laugh and feel at ease. He chose to live joyfully for as long as he could. He was most proud of my Mom, his children, and his 16 grandchildren - as his nurses at the Novena Cancer Centre told us. His measure of success wasn’t the buildings and warehouses he built but how large our family has become. To have all his grandchildren give a eulogy speaks volumes of his presence in their lives.
I could never be prouder to have him as my Dad, and I am glad that I got to say that to him.
Happy 80th birthday in heaven to my generous, kind-hearted, hardworking, devoted, and joker of a Dad. You will be missed tremendously!
