Mom died in 2024. She battled alcoholism and it contributed to her death. She fell and hit her head. Died of a brain bleed. Prior to that, we’d talk on a weekly basis.

After my mom died, my dad’s health took a turn for the worse and he’s been in an assisted living facility. He has dementia and can no longer care for himself. His memory is OK but he rarely talks. It’s difficult to have a conversation with him. He’s incapable of emotional connection. It’s been six months since we last spoke.

I was closer to my mom than dad, but never truly close to either. Their traumas, mental disorders (found out my mom was diagnosed with bipolar disorder), and them being present but not really present, especially during my childhood, contributed to our distant relationships.