I guess now is a good…

I guess now is a good time to post about Dad. My brother and I are in route to pick up one of his cars at the shop and we have a good bit of travel time.

I guess I can start the week of Thanksgiving. Mom's birthday was on the 23rd and we were all together on Sunday the 24th, minus my wife who had to work, to take them out for lunch. We took two vehicles. My brother drove his family and I drove our parents and my son.

On the way there, Dad said he didn't feel right. I offered to take him to the ER and he was adamantly opposed. Dad is a funny guy but this time he was being serious. I argued with him but didn't win. So we went to eat. He seemed to be fine afterwards.

My brother was off Monday so he returned to visit Mom and Dad. At some point, they convinced him to go to the ER. Baton Rouge Oschner on O'Neal was where they went. To make a long story short, they were told he had a stoke and had brain bleed. However, we learned that was incorrect later that week. Since it was Thanksgiving and the hospital didnt have the facilities and staff to accommodate, he was offered to be sent to a hospital of his choice. He chose St Tammany. There is where he was diagnosed with a mass in his brain, nodules in his lungs, legions in his bones, and something on his liver. The team of doctors then ruled out everything but the mass in the brain and either wanted to do a biopsy or extraction. Dad wanted the extraction since he was already there.

We spent Thanksgiving there and he went into surgery at 2pm on that Friday. The team of doctors believed it to be glioblastoma, but wanted to be sure and wait for the pathology results.

What a long wait that was! Talk about nerve racking!!

When Dad came out of surgery, he couldn't remember short term and his vision was impaired. Despite this, he had us all in stitches as he remembered the name of the Hawaiian fish: #humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa . He also remembered all the experiences he had with the USAF as well as his friends he served with.

This has been a logistical challenge for us. I found temporary housing for Mom in Dad, and in very little time, moved them in one day. I took off this week from work to get them both, Mom more so, acquainted with the schedule of radiation and chemo meds, plus all the other things associated with getting to and from. VA authorized travel with Uber and I believe they are both set for next week.

My brother lives and works close to the temporary place and I'm right over the pond. We will visit frequently, if not daily.

BTW, the team of doctors were right. They know their shit inside and out. We're in great hands. Dad is in good spirits and is thankful he has had no pain. I know it'll be a long road for us all, but we'll be every chance we get.

Today we too Mom and Dad home for a bit. He fed his winged friends for the first time in weeks, and they remembered him.

🙏🇺🇸✝️🫂🐦