- J

For the 1st time in my life my Dad needs me! Help me be there for him when he needs me the most!
I have the best father a kid could of ever asked for! I am 1000% the man and father i am today because him!
My parents divorced when i was 4 yr old. Being in a divorced household was not always easy growing up! But even though my Dad didnt live close he was always there for my sister and I! Weather it was being my couch in T-ball, driving 3 plus hrs for my 1st football practice or when he moved to Florida flying me and my sister down to visit him every school break we had! I always knew he was just a phone call away and he would drop everything he was doing if it gave us a chance to be together!
When I got older he moved to Puerto Vallarta Mexico for work. Around this time I was looking for some direction in my life! I needed a little jump start! Without a hesitation he got me a job and insisted on paying and moving me down to PV with him!
That was the beginning of some amazing adventures we had together! Some of the best yrs of our lives!
One of the biggest adventures is when we drove from Orlando pulling a bunch of his stuff and his dog Chase all the way to Puerto Vallarta! It took 5 1/2 days! I can write a book about getting across the border with all his stuff! The trailer broke down 2 times! We don't speak spanish and we are in the middle of nowhere! I still cant believe we made it!!
We even lived together for a while! I was to young to remember living with my Dad so this was my chance! My Dad always said its better late than never!
I will cherish those memories for the rest of my life!
Puerto Vallarta is also where I met my wife and had 3 amazing boys! Kayden who is now 20yrs old was my Dad's 1st Grandchild! Then came Jordan who is almost 15 and Owen is already 9!
We continued having adventures but now with his Grandkids! One of his favorite things to do was to take the boys fishing in the Bay if Banderas! To this day the younger boys will ask when is grandpa coming since can go fishing!! Memories my boys will have forever!
Eventually my Dad had to move back to Florida! Kids were crushed but thats what he had to do...
now the full circle moment for me was when Kayden was 18 and was now looking for some direction and needing a little jump start in his life My Dad again without hesitation insisted Kayen move with him in Florida to help him get started! Another amazing blessing! Kayden got to live and learn from his grandpa for the past 2yrs! Living side by side and learning life from my Dad was priceless!!
Kayden now has the confidence to conquer whatever he sets his mind to!!
Little did we know that living with grandpa and keeping an eye on him would Eventually save his life last week
So my Dad has been having trouble breathing for probably a couple yrs! Over that time he went to the doctor to see whats up. Every time he got a clean bill of health! But this past 8 months or so it has been getting worse and worse! In my Dad's words he said he thought he was doomed! After many months and tests the Doctors said he needed a new heart valve! My Dad was so relieved because he thought he could be fixed!
Finally this past March 17th three days before his 79th Birthday he finally got the heart valve procedure! The doctors told us that he should be feeling 80-90% better in days! We were so excited! Unfortunately his breathing has gotten worse ever since!
Doctors kept telling him dont worry it will turn around soon. It didnt!
Then last Saturday Kayden who never works the night shift at his job ended up having to work a night shift. Kayden said when he left the house in the early afternoon that grandpa seemed to be fine.
But after kayden left my Dad took a turn for the worse!
When Kayden got home from work he found my Dad and he immediately knew this was a life and death situation! Kayden with some help from my sister Sara who was on the phone insisted he goes to the emergency room! With my Dad being stubborn and telling kayden to just put him in bed and he will be fine Kayden took him to the hospital anyways! Way to go Kayden! The doctors told my Dad that saved his life that night!
And now here we are today! After being in ICU for 4 days the test results say that unfortunately my Dad's adventures are coming to an end!
Tomorrow my Wonder amazing loving father will be moved to hospice care!!
So I'm asking for anyone that would like to help me and my Dad so we can have one last adventure together!
I want to fly back and spend as much time as he has left!
But with my work being 100% commission and I cant take much time off much less a month or so! I want to spend as long as he has left with him!
This will help me do that without stressing out about how long I can be with him!
My whole life my Dad has always been there for me! Its now my turn to be there for him when he needs me the most!!
I thank you! My wife Mariana and the boys thank you!
I've never been more proud when someone would tell me.. Your Dad is Gary Brown! I love your Dad! He's one of my favorite people!
Anyone who knows my Dad and wants to write a little something or a story you have of him we would love to read them!






