My dad had a relatively common neck surgery thursday last week (10/22/2020). He came back fine from the surgery and did well for the next day and a half. Saturday morning at 7:20am...my brother texts me that there has been an emergency....

My dads neck had apparently swelled and he had trouble breathing....he asked my brother to call 911 and then he collapsed....he was unconscious. My brother performed CPR and the medics were able to start his heart again. He was transferred to the local emergency department and then the ICU. He was unconscious for 6 days and we tried in vain to find any way we could get him out of this. The experience left him with severe brain injury. His chance at recovery was first less than 10%...and then changed to less than 1%. They attribute a number to the extend of the damage suffered...the lower the number is better. 75 is severe...his was at 117.

Our family made the decision to end his life support yesterday....something that I didn't imagine any of us having to ever do. I suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and panic. I knew it wasn't good for me to be there...but I was with him along with my mom in the final 3 hours. It was traumatizing and agonizing to be there. I wished at every moment that a miracle could happen...something was overlooked and he was fine...or he would wake up and start the slow path to recovery. It was unreal...surreal...unfair...awful. I wanted to make sure that he wasn't alone and that he went with as much support as possible....It's going to take a long time to heal from this...

I watched him suffer at points and I kept my eyes averted for most of the time because I couldn't handle it. I'm glad at the end he was given the necessary medication to ease him and he went peacefully...I wish I knew what was going on...if he heard us...if he was scared. They are all horrendous thoughts to comprehend.

He didn't deserve this. None of us did. No human being deserves this.