His sister and nieces pushed him in via wheelchair. His skin was a yellowish grey colour. According to his family it had been a huge change from when he had arrived in town last week. Then he had been well and was able to dance with his nieces. Now he couldn’t walk without assistance as he was too weak and fatigued.

He’d been diagnosed with end-stage cancer only months ago, and arrangements had been made for him to go into residential care. As he deteriorated, his elder sister and her daughters wanted to look after him. They picked him up from his residential care facility and moved him into his elder sister’s house in Auckland.

Over the course of his first week with his family he became more unwell. Nerve related pain from his cancer worsened and led to his hospice admission. His medications were adjusted to make him more comfortable. The family arranged for a reunion. His elder sister came down to see him.

All he wanted to do was sleep. He had no appetite.

He enjoyed the family reunion, it had been years since he and his siblings had been in the same room together.

On his final day he became comatose. His older brothers came to see him in the morning, after travelling two hours by car. They talked about when they had all been young. I explained that he was critically unwell and could die at anytime.

His sisters came back to see him, and within minutes he had taken his final breath.

Rest in peace family man.