On May 4th of this year, it was the 30th anniversary of my dad's passing. I lost him when I was a  rebellious, vulnerable individual, lost somewhere between child and adulthood. He'd been sick with a very aggressive form of cancer. He did not tell me. When I look back now, the signs were there, but he did put on a good front. I can't imagine what his wife went through, knowing this, but not letting on to his kids.

I remember going to my apartment and a neighbor saying that the…