He was asking, against all reason, for his cane less than a day before he died. When we reminded him that he had to keep all weight off his feet if his heels* were to heal properly, he responded "I'll stand on the balls of my feet." He was still attempting to impose his will on the universe at t-minus twelve hours.
That's my dad, all right.

*suppurating sores very close to gangrenous, apparently