I remember the day very well when we heard "We think it may be lung cancer." There was no way this could happen to my 53-year-old daddy. I felt hopeless, defeated, scared. Through everything my dad remained positive he reassured me, "Daddy will be ok".
The main reason it was being questioned was because he was in the hospital a few times due to low sodium levels. At times he would get confused and not think clearly. One thing that made me know something was really wrong was my dad forgot my phone number. He would call me 10 times a day. I remember writing him three pages of ways to help him breath better, exercises to do and foods to eat that could help.
Fast forward to August 2022 (just a few months before is when they noticed a spot on his left lung) he went in for a biopsy. Afterwards he was placed on a ventilator for 10 days; my birthday passed during that time (August 8th). I wanted him to wake up and just be able to talk to him.
He eventually did come off of the ventilator but wasnt the same. He couldn't walk. He was then told it was stage 4 lung cancer and no treatment would help. He wanted to come home, so he did on August 20th 2022 (his oldest daughters birthday). He came to mine and my husbands house his request with hospice.
Even then in my mind I knew my dad was going to overcome this. I had to think that way. The hospice nurses tried to prepare us but nothing in this world could have prepared me for what I was about to go through. I was asked daily if I have thought of a funeral home and in my mind I believed they were crazy. My dad wasnt going anywhere.
He fought as long as he could. On August 26th 2022 at 8:30pm my dad took his last breath surrounded by me (his youngest daughter), his youngest son age 15, 1 of his sisters, 2 grandkids while my mom held him. I will always have that image of my dad in my mind during his last days when he stretched out his arms and said he just wants to go home. He was a loving father, brother, grandfather and friend. In honor of his memory, I plan to make a donation to bring awareness to lung cancer every November.
Lung cancer took someone very special and important in my life just like it has to others. In memory of Bobby Jerome Sammons. He is in the picture with the Pawpaw shirt. If love could have saved you, you would still be here.
