Dad Update 11/25/2013

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and this year there seems to be an entirely new perspective on the holiday. For the first time, in as long as I can remember, I am taking this time to be extremely thankful for everything. From the outside looking in, many people may look at our situation as difficult, sad and, downright unfair. And sure, from the outside looking in all those things are true, but being on the inside- people couldn't be more wrong. 

From the inside looking out I have realized how blessed we really are- how blessed I am for an amazing Mom and Dad, an unbelievable support system of family and friends, and how thankful I am for my faith. Mom and I sit down many of nights while my Dad is getting ready for bed and we talk, sometimes we cry, sometimes we laugh, but every night we talk about how blessed we are and we give thanks. You see, my Dad did not just have one surgery on October 16th, he had two. One to remove the tumor, the other due to a bleed in his brain...a bleed that we were not sure would stop. And not only did they have to remove the tumor that day, but also a massive blood clot. So massive that the fact he did not have a stroke prior to the surgery is unknown to doctors. My Dad is clearly a fighter. His attitude is amazing and his oncologist has even said "How can you not have a positive outcome with an attitude like that?" And she's right. Regardless of the outcome, regardless of how well his body is handling the treatment, I've been able to spend everyday with him. All of those moments- taking him to radiation every Friday, cooking dinner at night, or watching Aggie football on a Saturday- can never be taken away from me. These moments I cherish, treasure and love- there isn't anywhere else I would rather be than hanging out on the couch with my Dad. 

Dad initially started going to physical therapy twice a week- although he was determined to do all the exercises at home and regain his strength quickly! As of today, he will no longer have to go to physical therapy- we are all thrilled! Speech therapy has been increased to three times a week. Dad is DETERMINED to get people's names correct, and I have all the faith in the world that he will. He gets a little frustrated at times, although I like to remind him of one of my favorite stories while he was in ICU:
Speech Therapist: "Name this object." (Points to tv)
My Dad described the object, although was not able to name the actual object.
Speech Therapist: "Clearly, he will need speech therapy."
Me: "Ma'am, he knows my name- so I don't give a s*** if he can't tell you that's a tv."

Clearly my language shows it had been a long week, and clearly we did not select that lady to be our speech therapist. Regardless, Dad knows my name, my mom's name, and all of my sisters- for that, we are blessed. 

He's come such a long way, and daily we struggle to get back to how things were before- and eventually we will. But there are a lot of things that this experience has done to change ME- and for that I will forever be thankful. We thank God everyday for the seizure, which helped us to identify the tumor. Sure, this is a difficult path, and sometimes we laugh and other times we just cry- but at the end of the day I truly believe it will all be ok. Not sure what "ok" will look like, but for right now I look at each day and realize that a good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often and realize how blessed you are.

And we are blessed. Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, cards, food and kind words- we can feel and Dad can feel it even more!