Jason

A few weeks before Rockwell was due, Dad went out to visit Jason. His health was declining quickly from the cancer. It had only been about 9 months since he had been diagnosed. They had to stop chemo several times because of infections and it didn't help prolonging his lifespan. We didn't even know up until this time that doctors had only given him a year to live anyway.

Dad was already there 2 weeks before, had helped with medical needs, and also finding a place for him to move because he needed constant care that his girlfriend Jenn (that he was living with at the time) wasn't able to provide. A few days after coming home, Jenn called him very upset and frantic telling Dad that she wasn't sure he was going to last very much longer and needed help. He packed up his things and was going to leave the next day, only by the time he got out there, he had passed away. 

On May 14th, just two days before Rock was born, and a day before they had decided to move him to a health facility, he passed away. He was only 43 years old. Mom and Dad left the next day to help with funeral prep. It tore me up knowing that I would miss the funeral, but because I was already overdue and my induction date was only a few days away, I had to stay. I had Rockwell on the 16th, but since Mom and Dad were now in CA they missed his birth. I really wasn't even upset, I was more concerned about everything they were doing and how it was going. I had Rock on a Friday, and that next Monday, May 19th, they held the funeral at Grandma's church building. If there was any way I could have been there, I would have. Rock was only 2 days old by that point, and it just wasn't feasible. 

I didn't have as close of a relationship with Jason as I wished. I lived in a different state than him most of my life. I did talk to him a few times a year, and was always my back up when I had computer problems. (He was a computer genius!) I always tried to convince him to come to both CO and UT, but his hatred of travelling kept him away. It was an ongoing joke whenever we spoke. I even threatened to just send him a plane ticket one day :)  Even as a half brother, I will always hold memories of him close and think about him often. I am glad though that he was close with the CA family and was able to have the support of a very loving and accepting family.