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Searching for Peace

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Hello beautiful people. My name is Morgan Short. My daddy, Timothy Scott Short, was diagnosed with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma in July of 2017, two months before his mother (my grandmother) passed away from metastatic ovarian cancer. He has undergone several different types of chemotherapy and radiation treatments since his diagnosis, and it always seemed as if good news was so far out of reach. Nothing was working, really. The cancer began spreading to his stomach, his lungs, his liver, his rib cage, his legs, his shoulders, his skull….

The week before Thanksgiving this year (2018), he began having trouble maintaining his balance, and the day before Thanksgiving, he couldn’t stand on his own. He also began to feel numbness in his arms. This was unbearable for him as he is such a strong minded and independent man. He couldn’t understand what was happening. On Friday November 23rd, I sat on the bathroom floor with my dad and had a conversation that I never wanted to have. We talked about him needing to go to the hospital. I, along with other members of my family, had recommended this days prior, but I think that he needed to decide for himself. He looked at me and I looked at him and he shook his head and said “if I go to the hospital, I’ll never come back home, will I?” My eyes filled with tears, and I embraced him hard. I soaked in that moment. I explained to him why I thought the loss in motor function of his lower limbs was occurring. After he agreed to go, I called several of my family members, and my mom, aunt, and sister took him to the emergency department.

 Upon arrival, they found that he was having urinary retention in addition to the loss of motor function in his legs. After an MRI and CAT scan, the ER doctor explained to him and my family that the cancer had spread to his spinal cord and bony parts of his spine. They admitted him to the hospital and planned for radiation. Over the next couple of days, while the doctors waited for my dads medical records to transfer, he started having intense pain and swelling in his head and neck. We knew that he had a cancerous lesion on his skull, so we all assumed that this was causing the pain, but his doctors wanted to get another scan of his head. They found that the cancer had spread further and invaded his brain.

 Today, November 27th, my family and my dad’s medical team decided to withdraw care. The doctor’s explained that radiation was no longer an option and surgery wouldn’t be beneficial either.

 At this point, the nurses and doctors are doing what they can to keep my dad comfortable. He will be moved to hospice today or tomorrow. He smiled at me tonight and told me that he loved me.

 For all of you that have had the pleasure of meeting my daddy, you all know how special he is. He has the biggest heart of any man that I’ve ever met. He always went out of his way to help others. He loved to cook. He was a nerdy gamer. He was an avid reader. He was an army veteran. He collected coins and sharks teeth and baseball cards. He was a jokester, a cynical one at times. He survived living with three women and did it with grace and a kind heart although I know that it probably aged him. He raised me to be the person I am today. He took me to get my first job on my 15th birthday. He taught my sister and I to work for what we want and to never settle. He taught us how to play cards and chess. He always made us try new things (food most often). He always kissed us goodnight and said I love you. He called me “shoogs,” and it never embarrassed me. Most importantly, he showed my sister and I what a real, loving, authentic, and faithful relationship looked like. He and my mom (Rosita Short) have been married for 24 years now….they would’ve celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this upcoming April. Because of their marriage, I won’t ever settle for anything less than what they had.

 My family, especially my mom, will be making some very hard adjustments after my dad passes. My mom is such a strong woman and I want to give her the time that she needs to grieve without worrying about work or bills. If you can help me help her, it would mean more than anything. She and my sister will be my priority after my dad passes. I promised him that I would take care of them.

 If you cannot donate, please share. Thank you in advance, and please keep us in your thoughts as we try to live our lives without my sweet daddy’s presence on this earth.
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Donations 

  • Marcy Thompson
    • $20 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Morgan Nicole Short
Organizer
Brookhaven, GA

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