Guinness and my father

On April 3, 2002, my father died from complications connected with Parkinson's Disease. Two evenings before he died, Dad was not able to drink but only to slurp water from a sponge. My former wife was sitting at the bedside, rehydrating the sponge.

Sipping a Guinness Stout, she did a triple take: the glass of water, the pint of beer, the water. She re-hydrated the sponge in the Guinness and gave it to Dad. He drank the sponge dry, several times.

That was to be my father's last earthly pleasure. The next day, he could no longer swallow.

Today, my mother and I toasted his memory with a Guinness.

• My father, Albert Cizauskas, led a full and fascinating life. Read more here.
• Help find a cure for Parkinsons Disease: here.