A woman took her dad who is going blind on an emotional trip to see the home he grew up in one final time, and she told Newsweek of his joy in a moving interview.
Country music singer Holly Hewett, who lives in London, England, took her father Gary to visit his old family home in Scotland. Gary spent time in the Armed Forces and was posted in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
He also found success with his very own bricklaying business and Holly could not be any prouder of him. "He is a very strong, driven, warrior of a dad," she told Newsweek. "He's my best friend really."
However, Gary has been plagued by health issues in the past few years that have started to take a devastating toll. Back when he was in his forties, Gary was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. According to the CDC, more than 38 million Americans have diabetes. Of that number, 90 to 95 percent have Type 2.
While it's a condition that can be carefully managed, the damage done to Gary's body is now sadly beyond repair. "He has now gone blind from years and years of high blood pressure, it ended up shattering his retinas," Holly said.
There had been some hope that his retinas could be repaired by surgery but the arrival of Covid and the lockdowns imposed in the U.K. meant Gary's surgery was postponed to what Holly describes as "the point of no return."
"When he went to see the doctors they said it had a zero percent chance of working," she said. Matters were made worse when Gary subsequently contracted meningitis. "We all thought he was going to die," Holly said. "He had to learn how to walk again."
Now with his eyesight failing, Holly openly admits her dad's eyesight is failing and it's "led him into a deep depression."
"So I am trying my best to give him a better life," she said. "I am trying to give him a reason to live, so I took him to Edinburgh in Scotland, where he was born, to see family and the place where he grew up."
In a poignant video posted to Holly's TikTok HollyHewettt, she shared footage from the trip to his childhood home so "he could see it one last time." Holly said "it was very emotional and obviously quite bittersweet."
But the visit proved a source of joy to Gary, who appeared to regain some sense of optimism in the face of his mounting difficulties.
"He loved it! Truly, he was very emotional and he didn't want to leave. My whole family are Scottish. He was wanting to see his cousins that he's very close to. We stayed in this gorgeous Airbnb," Holly said. "He has some sight but not much and it's only going to get worse from here but he is a strong, positive man, with a big heart and a lot of love."
Though Holly is close to her father, she felt it was important to "step back" and let him take in his surroundings. "He was taken aback by how beautiful it was," she said. "The place we were staying at was gorgeous. He lives in an apartment, so to be in a house with hills and fields of green was breathtaking for him."
Holly hopes her video reminds others how important it is to "show kindness and love" to the important people in our lives, especially when they are struggling. "It's OK to ask for help."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
