Patrick Swayze's wife Lisa was on Oprah today and as most of us know............

the best and most wonderful man i ever knew out of 5 marriages and many years of unhappiness, my soul mate that made my life worthwhile for only 7yrs of my 62 yrs, died in '02 of cancer. they said it was colon cancer but had spread every where. many in my family have died of one kind or another. so believe me i know all about the pain. Its a horrible thing and doesnt seem to play favorites or have any mercy. I've had dreams of him wanting me to join him but my kids say its just because i miss him so much and im still needed here.

Hi, Celticeagle. I'm so sorry you didn't manage to spend some time with your dad, but it sounds as if some people kept you away as well, and I'm sure your Dad had let everything from the past flow pretty far under the bridge by that time.

My Mum died of cancer around 11 years ago, and my father nursed her at home. I still stayed at home at the time, and I remember one night getting ready for work, and my Mum calling me. I didn't even mean to sound annoyed when I shouted back "Whaaat???!!", and I immediately felt really bad for it. Ran through to her room, and she just wanted me to heat up some soup and bring it to her. But I still think about that, and feel just awful! She was the kind of person who hated anyone having to wait on her, so I know it tortured her to ask for help. It sounds like a silly thing, but it was one of the very few things she let me do for her, and I - albeit just for a moment - replied sounding irritated.

I was holding her hand when she died, because my Dad just panicked. She, or rather what made her who she was, whatever you want to call it; her spirit, her soul, her essence, was gone before she took her last breath. I didn't just feel it, I saw it, I saw her eyes change, her face, I can't explain it, a good few moments before her body died. But I definitely feel we move on when we die.

And I truly, truly believe that all is forgiven, there is only love from your Dad toward you. It's so easy to beat yourself up for the bad moments, but I'm sure there were plenty of nice ones too. Try to let them come forward, instead of thinking about the disagreements - we all have those, and usually with the people who mean the most.

And yeah, I actually still have arguments with my Mum from time to time! Lol! Because I know if she was here, she'd still be pulling me up by the scruff of my neck! So she's close - I hear the little warning voice in the back of my mind sometimes!

Bless, and good luck.

Yes with teh way Patirck looked on the last paper he was on the cover he looked like my hubby did before he died.
We found he had bladder cancer in April and died in Dec.
altho we did all we could to lengthn it the time just flew.
HE took the CHemo and never say him get sick or anything from it didnt lose all his hair either and was coming back in black no pepper any more.

I can just say love them with all your might stay by them and hold on the best ya can.
We would set and hold hands and listen to our music for the months he had left.
and He kissed me just before he died.
Even tho its been almost 5 years I still feel him around me I talk to his picture and oft times wish he was still here to hug'

My grandfather died from lung cancer. My family took him to a different city to care for him in his final days. I wanted to go and was there for a bit of it but nowhere near what I wanted to. I remember being very angry with my family because even before it was his time..everyone was worried about what it was that they would get and all I could think about was wanting him to be ok and being so offended by them. I don't have any good advice for someone in that situation except to just hang in there and enjoy what moments you have left. I wasn't there when he passed like I wanted to be. I called and my cousin said so happily when I asked how he was doing...Great she said..he passed last night. I think I may have had a nervous breakdown right then. I have never really gotten over it. I was under age at the time and so the family had full control.

I watched tidbits of the show. I just started talking to my father again not too long ago, and his sister (my aunt) had cancer. I went to see her in the hospital, but my husband (fiance at the time) did not get to go into the room to meet her because he wasn't family. She died of Lung Cancer I believe, though I can't be certain as I wasn't told too terribly much about it until she was really bad off.

My dad and I hadn't talked to each other in years, and so my husband and I also started finding things out about my mother to whom has caused me to not really like my dad. Though now that I have my husband, my father and I are talking more, and I know it has to do with my husband being such a pushing person to help me realize I can't go by what I've heard when I was younger.

Yes I watched that show and it was very moving. Lisa Niemi looked like she was trying to hold back tears throughout the entire interview.
My mother was diagnosed with esophageal cancer back in June of 2005...and it was kind of a wake up call for me to be prepared for her eventual death as we always like to think we're going to have our family members a bit longer--she died on August 27, 2006. Unfortunately the relationship I had between my mother and myself was a highly turbulent one and became worse (if that's possible)---I've often heard that no matter how turbulent a relationship is between mother/daughter or father/son especially, there is kind of a reconciliation of sorts towards the end...that wasn't to be with me...how I wish there had been. Instead I felt nothing but relief when she died and I was present when she did. I felt in a way gypped that any chance of a reconciliation was denied me as the very next day after she was admitted to the hospital I walked into the hospital room and she was on life support and in a coma...so there was no chance of talking to each other in her final days...and I know this sounds selfish, but I would have liked to have heard her say how sorry she was for treating me the way she did (she was very vicious and cruel to me)...but maybe perhaps she did hear me. They say when people are in a coma they can still hear. So that day (that she was to die) I was there to get a doctor's note to excuse her for an upcoming court case in which we had to attend..naturally being in the state she was, she couldn't. Well as I waited for the doctor I said to her, "do you want to go?" There was no chance of her recuperating and she was in coma for two weeks..so I asked her over and over again.."do you want to go?" Well, then the doctor comes in...as we are talking the alarms go off..she was crashing..her vitals sinking fast...the crash team came in to revive her but she passed on...I have a feeling she heard me, and perhaps she needed me to ask her to let go, but needed me to say it to allow her to pass on. When it was over, I went home, drained...not sad, just drained....then believe it or not I got angry at her...LOL...I shouted into the apt..."Thanks a lot for leaving me with all this shat to deal with....remember we had been in the midst of a court case that started March or 2006 and wasn't to end until Oct 2006 (I won by the way)---but it was like I was pissed off at her for leaving me with all this crap to still deal with...in fact the entire year of 2006 was one of those where I swear it was a wonder I didn't have a total meltdown...
The main problem though with my mother, unlike Patrick Swayze who was so determined to fight his cancer...when my mother got the news, she gave into it and didn't even try to battle it.
sorry for my rant...but heck you did say one could vent..LOL