Member-only story
Dear Dad,
It feels strange to start a letter knowing you’ll never read it. I’ve come to realize I miss you now more than ever. I’m sitting here, tears blurring my vision, yet I find it comforting.
Our relationship was… complicated. Mom always said you loved me the most, being the youngest, but I never really felt that. It was hard to see your affection through your silence or anger. It’s been a while since you left us in August 2020, succumbing to Covid. I’ve made peace with your absence, but the void remains. I know we didn’t have the perfect father-son relationship but at least I had a person to call my father. People have started to tell me that I look a lot like you.
In my eyes, you died a hero. Not just as a doctor, but as a man who dedicated his life to serving others. People often took advantage of your kindness, but you never turned your back on them. Even today, people stop Mom on the street & share stories of your generosity and bravery, how you fought for their rights and stood beside them when no one else did. You were truly the “Man of the people.”
I wish I could share my achievements with you. Losing a father figure at a young age is a wound that never fully heals. We might not have had the perfect relationship, but I was lucky to have you as my dad.
Guess what? I also became an EMT last year in NYS and am now in paramedic school. It’s tough, balancing everything, but I’m pushing through, inspired by you. I am not good at it by any measure but I hope to get through it in one…
