I cannot tell you how deeply I appreciate ALL your kind thoughts, prayers and well wishes for my dad and my entire ohana.
Telling my dad she was gone was the most difficult thing I've had to endure in my life. He took the news with a mixture of unimaginable heartache/sadness mixed with a feeling of acceptance. He asked if she had suffered and we reassured him she had gone peacefully. He was relieved to know she was no longer in pain.
Yesterday, he seemed much better; more alert, talkative etc. He appeared to have accepted she's gone and realized he is still here to enjoy life w/ his family. I think the weight of her slow decent into the darkness of dementia has been lifted and the worry he felt along with that is now gone. I suspect he thought he would pass before she did and the stress, anxiety and guilt ate away at him the last few yrs as her memory faded more and more.
I'm off to the rehab hospital. I just wanted to THANK YOU ALL AGAIN. Reading this thread brought tears to my eyes along w/ good memories of my mom and her long life.
ALOHA....