My dad, Louis Tamara, died of pancreatic cancer on May 5, 2017, about six months after he got sick. He taught art to elementary and middle school students in Elmira, New York, for more than 30 years. He was a deeply philosophical and multitalented man, and also my closest friend. I'm still reflecting on what he left behind, the suffering he endured and the hope that other families might one day be spared the same ordeal.