"My Dad"

My Dad chose to pass by VAD after suffering with a serious cardiac condition last year (Cardiac amyloidosis) . He was recently diagnosed with heart failure & received a prognosis of less than 6 months to live in January.

He was always an active person & he felt that his quality of life was significantly diminished. I observed a significant change in his health; mobility and capability during the last 6 months and an increasing reliance on support for day to day activities. He was in constant discomfort & pain for a long period prior to and after his cardiac diagnosis. He didn’t want to go into care or into hospital. He wanted to be at home to the end and until he could join Mum in the next life.

It was very difficult in the lead up to his last day. But we were able to help facilitate his farewell to dear friends and let him know how much we loved him and how grateful we were to have had him as a father. The VAD liaison team were amazing from first contact. Compassionate, understanding & caring. On the day they were so supportive & caring to Dad & all the family. They knew when to engage & when to keep a respectful distance. They enabled Dad to pass with the dignity he deserved. We listened to his favourite music, shared the daily crossword & said our final goodbyes. We were altogether as he passed peacefully.