Big scare when Ann brought Tony to hospital on Sunday April 20th. Sandra and Julie were flying back to New York and Toronto but with heavy hearts. Tony was admitted in the morning at the recommendation of the oncologist on call at the Cancer Clinic. Tests showed his blood sugar seriously spiked (normal is around 4 to 8 and Tony was at 23.7).
There were also serious concerns with his blood in general. Turns out there is a bad infection in the blood and therefore his body is suffering as a consequence. After a million tests they finally narrowed his infection to a specific kind and he is now on a special antibiotic for the past five days.
Tony had a very rough Wednesday April 23rd - so bad that Tony asked for us (the girls) to come home. We freaked out and flew home straight away. Julie arrived on Thursday from Toronto and Sandra arrived on Friday from NYC.
Since Wednesday April 23 things have been like a bad roller coaster ride: he's had really great and fabulous moments like laughing and making jokes with the health care staff to scaring us to death with how close he is pushing the line.
I've come to understand a few things about Dad's illness and I'll sum it up here: It's complicated. He's battling two cancers (Merkel Cell Carcinoma -MCC- and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia-CLL) , each attacking different parts of his immune system. Every time the doctors treat one thing, it makes him vulnerable to the other cancer or infection. The scars of his fight are extremely disturbing and he is quite tired and I daresay, exhausted.
Now, that being all said, something in my gut tells me he's still got some fight left in him. The war going on in his body is really straining and taxing his mind. I think that is the hardest part for me to watch. He really wants to give in to the battle sometimes. However, his body seems to be responding positively to various treatments, bit by bit. Even though they are small gains, I reckon that's a lot in this game. And doubly so for dad. And though he may seem like he's really down for the count on this one, that hand of his keeps rising up. It's unbelievable how he just keeps going -- but that is the essence of our Tony, isn't it?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
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Obituary: Tony Eng Lived a Magical Life
Former owner of Trick & Joke Shop succumbs to leukemia and skin cancer
Jeff Bell, Times Colonist
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
A meeting of the Victoria Magic Circle last night turned into a memorial for one of its most accomplished members, Tony Eng, who died Sunday at the age of 61.
The hope when the meeting was planned was that Eng would present his namesake trophy to the winner of a competition for the best close-up magic trick. Instead, fellow magicians like Shayne King took time to share thoughts of a man they respected and admired.
"He taught me a lot, he gave a lot of magicians their start," said King, who managed Tony's Trick & Joke Shop for Eng. He has continued at the store since it became Murray's Trick & Joke Shop two years ago under Murray Hatfield.
Hatfield said running the store has shown him just how far-reaching Eng's influence has been. Eng's legendary demonstrations of his sleight-of-hand at the store counter were a long-time attraction, Hatfield said.
"I can't tell you how many times since we took over the shop that I've had people coming in and saying thinks like 'We're here from Bakersfield, Calif. and we were here five years ago, and it was just the high point of our trip'".
It was all because of Tony and the way he made people feel.
"Tony was a master and definitely one-of-a-kind, and he will be greatly missed by both the magic community at large and by a lot of non-magicians who just happened to come in and meet him through the shop."
Hatfield said that many people he speaks to are finding the news of Eng's death hard to believe.
"This has been such a blow. For the last three days, I've been hearing nothing but people just being in shock. Tony was such an awesome guy -- not only was he an exceptional performer and a great businessman, he just was a really nice man."
The response to his death means a great deal to the family, said Sandra Eng, one of his two daughters.
"The word is starting to ripple out there now and it touches my heart every time I hear how significantly Dad made an impact on people."
She said her father, born in Victoria in 1946, was diagnosed last October with both a form of leukemia and a rare type of skin cancer.
His fascination with magic went back to his early childhood, she said.
"He got his first magic kit when he was eight and did his first paid gig at the age of 12."
His ability as a musician had him performing at innumerable charity events over the years. He also became a Sunday night fixture at the Japanese Village restaurant, where he entertained diners for two decades.
Her father had many interests outside of magic, as well, his daughter said, and entrepreneurial skills that saw him run a successful wholesale business and establish the Premier School of Bartending.
"He loved to play racquetball. He was a fierce competitor and his Y buddies are going to sorely miss him. He also went fly-fishing, he did woodworking and he went RVing. Mom and Dad started travelling in the last few years quite a bit down south to Arizona."
A tribute is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.
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