My name is LaTasha and I just lost my father in what seems like such a blindside. Yesterday, he was complaining of back pain, which isn't unusual for him, but around 5:50 pm on Aug 5th, my dad approached my mom talking about how his heart feels funny and his right arm hurts. My mom grabbed the stethoscope and went to listen to his heart. It was beating weird but didn't sound that bad. She told him what it was doing, and she went to sit back down and started talking to Sherman (my dad's dog), telling him daddy needs love. While my dad was standing behind the kitchen chair the dog was sitting in, he leaned forward to kiss Sherman on his forehead and fell over while bending down. My mom immediately went to him, asking if she needed to call an ambulance. He couldn't respond, so she called 911. It took the ambulance over 30 minutes to get there, and when they arrived, they worked on him for over 30 minutes before they left. When he made it to the hospital, they had to stop his heart to stop the rapid beating, and they couldn't get it started again. So, at 7 sometime last night, my dad was pronounced dead due to a heart attack no one saw coming.

He was claustrophobic, so he didn't want to be buried. He was hoping to be put on a body farm, but as of yesterday, we found out that you have to pre-register for that. To try and keep to his wishes as best as we can, we have decided to have him cremated and have a ceremony. My mom had a fixed income until my dad passed. Now she has to find out how to pay the bills, cover his services, get an urn—all the stuff no one wants to ever do. I don't even clear $25,000 a year to even try and help. All I can do is make sure she makes it to her appointments. She has diabetes and is already having issues with diabetic nerve pain and neuropathy, so I have to make sure she takes care of herself too while in this emotional time. On top of trying to lay him to rest properly, we are in desperate need of help. Anything, even a dollar, could make a difference. We would greatly appreciate any help. This wasn't something any of us were prepared for mentally or financially. We are unsure of the dates as of right now due to lack of funds so we cant set a date but we are hoping to have his celebration of life before the end of August along with a bike rally for his memorial and last ride.