On August 2nd, I received a phone call from my mom that my papa was not doing well and was in the hospital with pneumonia. Pneumonia is a pretty normal occurrence because he has COPD. He was being given a very strong diuretic because he had fluid in his chest which was making it even harder for him to breathe. On the morning of August 3rd I had this overwhelming urge to see my Papa. I loaded up Scarlett and we picked up my mom and drove to Ranger, Tx to visit my Papa. Surprisingly he was doing very well. The fluid had gone down and he was feeling pretty spunky. Scarlett was scooting all around the hospital in her walker and loving the attention from all the nurses. My papa was making her giggle which inturn made him smile. He was so happy to see her and I really enjoyed my visit with him and my grandma.
On August 11th, my mom called and said that Papa had slipped into a coma very early that morning. I loaded up Scarlett and we headed to Ranger. When we got there he was completely unresponsive and just hanging out on Morphine. I had been praying for quite sometime that God would just peacefully bring him home and make him whole again. I left to get some medicine for my grandma and as I was pulling away I looked at his window and thought to myself that he would pass away while I was gone. As I left the pharmacy I prayed again that God would call him home and set him free. I walked in the doorway and my Aunt Sara took Scarlett and told me to go be with my Papa. He took his last breath about 4:15 p.m. on August 11, 2011, just as I walked in the door.
I remember back to November 19, 2010 at about 4:35 p.m. laying on the operating table having my C-Section. I couldn't wait to hear Scarlett cry because it meant that she took her first breath. At 4:38 she cried and took her first breath of life.
The last breath my Papa took and the first breath Scarlett took was exactly as I prayed to God it would be.......Peaceful.
