Needs to be said

Warning: This post is pretty raw and pretty disjointed. I just need to write.

This past week has been very hard for me and my family. Last Friday I lost my second father, Michael Mello. The Gill and Mello families grew up side-by-side. We were always doing things together, from beach days to birthdays to just hanging out late on school nights. When my parents went out of town during the school year, we would spend the nights at the Mellos so we could still go to school.

In 2010 Michael was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a “progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord” (http://www.alsa.org/). It affects everyone differently, but the end result is always the same. Unlike some diseases, ALS leaves the mind intact while it destroys the rest of the body.

Watching Michael deteriorate was hard on all of us, but especially his wife. Michael and Vickie adored each other and their love was palpable. I saw Michael only periodically, since I live in Florida. This made every time I saw him more difficult because he changed so much during our times apart.

It’s so hard to believe that he won’t be here anymore. It makes me so glad that I had 24 years with him. It makes me grateful that my sister asked him to walk her halfway down the aisle to my father at her wedding. It makes me even more appreciative that my father is still around to be a part of my life.

So right now I’m home for the next few weeks to help my family and theirs. It’s just been so hard. So emotionally draining. It will be a while before a new normal is formed.