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A Part of Our Story We Didn’t Expect ❤️

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If you’ve been following my posts about our recent trip to Cairns for our daughter’s 16th birthday, you may remember that my husband’s dad, our beloved Deda, wasn’t well.

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Unfortunately, when we arrived back from Cairns on Sunday the 12th, we headed straight to the family home.  My daughter and I spent several precious hours with Deda and the rest of the family.

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Cancer had taken a terrible toll on his health.  By this stage, he was no longer able to speak and was in immense pain, with morphine helping to keep him comfortable. 💔

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On Monday, my husband and I headed back to the family home.   Our daughter was exhausted after the trip and everything she had experienced, so she stayed home to rest and prepare for her return to school on Tuesday.

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We spent almost 10 hours at the family home that day, with family members taking turns to sit with Deda and be by his side.  The home nurses eventually arrived with his medical hospital bed, which we had all organised to be set up in the lounge room so he could remain at home, surrounded by his family.

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We finally left at around 7:30pm, heading home knowing our daughter was there and needed to get organised for school the following morning.

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At 11:45pm that night, Deda passed away. 🕊️💔

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It was such a heartbreaking end to what had otherwise been an incredibly special trip celebrating our daughter’s 16th birthday.

But amongst all the sadness, there is also something very comforting to hold onto.

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Deda was very, very loved. ❤️

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He spent his final hours at home, surrounded by family, with people taking turns to sit beside him and make sure he wasn't alone.

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Our Cairns trip will always hold so many beautiful memories for us ~ the reef, the waterfalls, the koalas, the laughter and the adventures ~ but it will also forever be connected to this moment in our family’s story.

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Life can change so quickly.  One minute you’re celebrating, making memories and taking photographs, and the next you’re saying goodbye to someone you love.

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So this is the part of our Cairns story that I wasn’t expecting to share.

 

For our beautiful Deda ~ forever loved, forever missed and forever part of our family. 🕊️❤️