#892... Heavenly Birthday...

Today would have been my Dad's 77th birthday had he not passed away at 55... He didn't have an easy life growing up, he was a hard worker, he battle TB (Tuberculosis) in 1972 when I was 7 and we were all poked and prodded and jabbed, it was a long recovery process at home after a lengthy stay in hospital and we were unable to see him... He had a bad motorcycle accident 5 doors from home when a car took him out... He later contracted Q Fever from working in a slaughter house... We loved to go fishing or go for a drive on a Sunday... Money was tight... My dad worked hard when he could... In 1982 my Dad, Mum and youngest brother packed up and started travelling the roads doing seasonal fruit picking mainly in NSW (cherries), Victoria (peaches, apples and pears) and South Australia (grapes)... He was later diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy (to do with the muscles around the heart) there was various stages and it frustrated him when he couldn't get about and had to get a motorised cart, we'd always done jigsaws but now it helped him pass the hours away... He passed away in his sleep in 1999 at 55 years and I was told he looked peaceful... I was the only person that viewed my dad on the day of his service, which was 10 days after he'd passed away and he wasn't Cremated till a further 10 days because my Dad was on experimental drugs, so his organs had to go to Sydney Australia for further testing before being returned to complete him for cremation... I love my Dad and I miss him so much... Like my Dad I've always been a battler through life, nothing has come easy and everything has been a hard slog but so far I'm still here...