I lost my dad at the age of 26 and my life has never been the same. I was my dad and mom's only child and I was daddy's little girl. He had a tough go round with diabetes in his early 20's, kidney disease and heart disease in his later years. He spent most of his life, (shortened at the age of 50) battling his own body after being pretty fit as a coal miner. Mentally it was tasking for him and I'm not truly sure he knew how to deal with it all. My dad wasnt very good at controlling his diabetes and it eventually effected his kidneys and heart. My dad had to start kidney dialysis and after many months of dialysis, at the age of 45, he recieved a kidney transplant and spent the next 5 years hoping his kidneys would continue working. He told his doctors against their belief that he would make it to 50 years old or maybe that was just a personal goal? He made it to his 50th birthday in January of 2003. My dad actually made it to November of 2003. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I had worked "steak night" at my parents(mom and stepdad Vince's) bar and it was my birthday. It also was the last time I spoke to my dad and said I LOVE YOU which weren't usual words we expressed. You see, my dad had been in the hospital for quite some time. They actually couldn't figure out why his legs were turning black and his kidneys were starting to fail again. That evening I had a really overwhelming feeling of despair. I truly didn't understand why I was feeling that way only to find out that the next day would be his last. I dropped to my knees and prayed for the first time to please keep my daddy safe. I got the call the next morning from my step mom (that's a whole 'nother part of my life) to get my rear end to her house so we could get to the hospital. Dad was scheduled the following day to have part of his leg removed and personally I don't think he could mentally deal with that, so he gave up! The man that had been in the hospital so many times and gave us so many scares, that it became a running joke that he would be "just fine", proved us wrong that day. My dad had actually died in his 20's after being found laying in his yard in a sugar coma. They had brought him back to life more than once and on this day 30 years later we figured he would still be "just fine". I still remember that day like it was yesterday. Saying goodbye to the man who loved me unconditionally, to the man who always made sure he tucked me in every night on the weekends when I visited him. To the man who loved music with all of his soul, and loved Christmas more than most because he was the biggest kid at heart. He hated to have to wait for me to come over to open his presents. Which usually consisted of some kind of remote control vehicle. To the man who always made sure we had the WWF wrestling (pay-per-view) when it was on and when the UNO cards weren't shuffled they would go flying through the air. He would then say with a grin "they're mixed now" as cards were everywhere! We definitely didn't miss too many pay-per-views or have lack of excitement playing games. We went on camping trips and vacations. We celebrated every birthday with store bought cake and ice cream. I never did without and I always knew my dad loved me, even when he was being crabby from all his health issues! He was the strongest man I ever knew long before the disease took that away. ....and after 20 years with out him, what hurts the most is, I don't remember the sound of his voice. I am not quite finished with how amazing my dad was, so we will just say, to be continued..... just another daily dose of T!