Dad

I had all good intentions of updating this blog regularly, and then real life took over. In mid-November, the doctors confirmed that my dad has a tumor inside his aorta that needs to come out. They scheduled the surgery for November 26, the Monday after Thanksgiving. Early Thanksgiving Day, my dad suffered a spinal hemorrhage that was likely a complication from the tumor. Within a matter of minutes, he lost all feeling and movement below the waist. He had surgery late Thanksgiving evening to drain the hemorrhage. The doctors were hoping that once the hemorrhage was drained, feeling and movement would return to his legs. 

Unfortunately, he has had complication after complication since then. In the days after the surgery he developed critically low blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and a subdural hemotoma near his brain stem. The complications have left him extremely ill and weak. Rehab to regain his mobility has been put on hold as the doctors work to save his life. Just yesterday, Dad seems to have turned a corner and was alert, talkative, and hungry for the first time in over a week. We are praying for him to continue to improve and to regain the strength needed to work in rehab. He is a fighter, and his strong character and determination will serve him well in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Mom and Dad on Thanksgiving Day, 2011