Michael John McNivens

My Dad truly was a one of a kind. My mom always told me of funny situations he would get himself into, and I can even remember the moments I had with him as a child, whether it was crafting or watching The Three Stooges. Although my dad passed away in 2016, I lost him to alcoholism and drug addiction much earlier. Since I was around the age of five, my dad was in and out of my life. When I was little, my mom just said he was "out partying" but as I grew older I knew it was much more than that. When my parents divorced when I was 11, he was a different person. He was still the funniest person I've ever met, but there was a sadness under his breath and he had other priorities in mind. After learning about addiction in school and through other family members, I started to forgive my father for the mistakes he made, because it was then that I realised addiction is a disease and out of his control, no matter how hard he tried. Just a few years ago, I started taking care of him more as his cirrhosis grew worse, and in the last year of his life I truly forgave him because I saw the pain and suffering he went through each and every day. In these days, I was able to reconnect with him, but due to his addiction I was still not able to laugh or talk with him exactly like we did when I was little. On August 19, 2017 my dad passed away in hospice, and is forever at peace.