While The World Watches Terri
I normally don't post much about the things that really affect this family, mostly I end up griping about which kid annoyed me at the moment or if something in news has bothered me. Tonight is different, while the world watches Terri Schiavo, my family is facing the same loss.
UPDATE:Richard Burnaby Hugh Dyott left us Tuesday afternoon. Obituary can be found here
My parents divorced when I was seven, I don't remember much of "them" being together except some brief glimpses into vacations and random flashbacks of a mundane childhood. Of course I remember the airport that I spent a good early part of my life on, but that's immaterial to this story.
After my parents divorced, my mom dated a few guys but finally met an Englishman several years her senior. I, being the spolied rotten ten year old I was/still am took some delight in making this "pseudo-daddy-replacement" pay for anything I could think of. And that he did. Quite often, all through my childhood my mom and Richard stuck it out as I went through a mundane adolescence.
Over time, Richard became a huge part of the family. My animosity eventually waned, to the point where we could actually spend time together ranting on about futures in various industries. In the end, it was slightly comical that I chose a field that was almost solely based on his research that he had done thirty years prior.
But tonight, as the world watches Terri, we are watching Richard. A couple of months ago after my mom and Richard returned from a absolutely memorable trip to a conference to India, Richard fell ill and went into the hospital. After days of tests and biopsies, our worst fears came to light. Liver cancer, terminal, maybe a couple of years, no scratch that, maybe a couple of months. Go home now. Spend time together NOW.
A couple of weeks ago, I gathered the kids and told them what was going on. Grandpa Richard was very sick and he was not going to get better. You know, the point really hit home with me as I watched Hannah breakdown and wail for her grandfather, someone who has only been in her life a short time but has made a huge impact on her life. In fact, the hardest part of these events is watching it through my children's eyes as they mourn the loss of their grandfather.
But tonight, we're watching and waiting. E-mails come in from my aunt who has reached "Sainthood" by coming in from London and staying with my mom through this. We're not thinking day-to-day, but hour-to-hour as our time with Richard draws to a close.
But who was Dr. Richard Dyott? He was a pioneer in pioneer in fiber optics dating back to the 1960's, a son of a Englishman who spent his early childhood in Tientsin, China and a well respected and published engineer. And he was a friend, a grandpa, and someone who is being taken too soon from us.