My Dad, Carmen Vendetti was 82 and he died on June 12, 2009.  He was diagnosed with a Leiomyosarcoma on his right lower lobe lung.  My parents go to Florida every winter from January to the end of April and he went for his normal exam with his heart doctor who ordered a routine chest x-ray.  That x-ray showed something abnormal and he then went for a PET scan in February 2009 and then later had a biopsy which reveled the LMS. It was 10 centimeters at that point and still my dad had no outward symptoms.  My folks returned to NJ in May and another CT scan last month, revealed the tumor had doubled in size to 21 cenitmeters.  At his last doctors appointment a week ago the doctor recommended we get Hospice.  My dad didn't appear to need hospice last week, he was still alert, knew who we were, even though he was also battling dementia, and although he was eating less, he was still sitting at the dinner table with us and able to go to walk around slowly.  His only outward symptom was on Wednesday, June 10th, when he had terrible pain on the right side.  He went into the Hospice unit at our local hospital on the 11th and passed on the 12th.  His condition changed very rapidly from the time they came home from Florida on May 2nd to the time he passed.

My dad was a loving father and husband.  He was a tractor trailer driver for 45 years.  He was also an activist against the abuse of Eminent Domain in NJ.  We have been involved in a long battle to save our homes and neighborhood from being demolished  by the City of Long Branch so they can give our land to a developer to build luxury condominiums.  I am glad my dad passed knowing his home was still standing, but on the other hand it has been horrible that his last years he had that threat over his head, not knowing if he would have his home ripped from him and his family.