This is the story of Buzz. My Dad, my hero and my absolute closest friend. This is our journey as we struggle to say goodbye while Alzheimers takes over our lives and robs us of our last years together.



Buzz is more than my Dad. Growing up he was a big brother. He really understood, loved and accepted me more than any other person I know. He loved me and stood by me… warts and all.



Because he stood by me when others said I was lost...because he was always open and honest and accepting of me...because he encouraged me to do things when others said I shouldn't or couldn't, I will stand by him and hold his hand, look in his eyes and tell him I love him every day until the day he dies. Which, unfortuately, will be sooner than later.



Friday the 25th of June 2010 we were informed that Buzz's congnative abilities will probably be gone in 6 months. By Christmas he will forget us completely, forget how to eat, be put on IV and die of pneumonia within a year.



I am compelled to tell the story of my journey with my Dad. I hope it will help me get past the loss of the one man who means more to me than any other person in my life. I hope people will see, through the tragedy of Alzheimers, an amazing, charming, gentle, fun loving man who deserves to be remembered.







Where Do I Start




Do I start by saying I wish I wasn't writing this blog. That I wish I was planning a trip to Africa with my Dad instead ?
Or do I start by saying why we wanted to go to Africa, about how, as a child, I used to climb on to his lap and look at that big ass tattoo of The Flying Dutchman inked on to his big ass forearm and listen to him tell me his stories of adventure and travel, of his reckless childhood running wild in northern BC, of the whales he used to see as a young merchant marine. Swimming with sharks in the Suez Canal, getting punched in the face by a drag queen in a bar in Germany 6 years before the Berlin Wall. Camping throughout Europe. Stealing his bosses car when he was 16. His time spent living in Africa.

Sigh.

I listened to them all and I remember them all. I remember a great man.
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