My mom and step dad got together when I was almost eight years old. I had never seen my mom so happy before so I knew this guy was perfect. Turns out, he was. He not only was my dad, but he instantly became my best friend. We did everything together, whether it be running to the store or just simply driving around laughing at the most random things. Our bond was unbreakable, or at least I thought it was.
Christmas day 2007 we all woke up early and opened gifts, but something did not seem right. My dad was not his normal happy self. He looked ill and we knew he needed to go to the hospital. After hours in the emergency room, they admitted him. His fever was extremely high and they did not know what was causing it. My mom and I were scared. We had never seen my dad this sick before and we just wanted to know what was wrong with him. His elbow was swollen to the point it looked like his skin was going to tear. They ran so many different tests and still could not figure out what was the cause of his sickness. They thought he had cancer. After days in the hospital they finally diagnosed my dad with Lupus. Lupus is an immune disease that affects your organs, and everyone with this disease is affected differently. My dad's affected his kidneys and was in kidney failure for almost a week. Thank goodness they got it under control and he was fine to come home. Everything was great for the next few years.
May 11, 2010, a day that changed my life forever. What I thought was a normal morning ended up being the most tragic day of my life. My alarm went off at 6am and I got up and started getting ready for school, but when I walked out of my room, my heart stopped. There lying on the floor of our bathroom was my dad's unresponsive body. My mom is just standing in the hallway frozen. I say "Mom what is wrong with daddy?" Her response, "Liz, he isn't breathing and wont wake up I don't know what to do.