Visits with Dad and Mom kept us on the move. When I look back at the pictures, I see how quickly things can change. I loved the times at the nursing home when many ladies gathered wherever Kim, Mom and I settled...they loved the conversation, music and fellowship (and still do).
Chemo started and Dad continued to struggle with breathing. He was placed on oxygen and also started meds to treat Tumor Lysis Syndrome (fancy name for what happens when a tumor breaks down). Mark continued to spend his days and evenings with Dad, as he felt great comfort knowing that someone was there beside him. Mark, Kim and I all got home in the evening and were going to relax a little and share information from the day, when the call came that Dad was taken down to the Critical Care Trauma Unit (ICU). Mark left for the hospital immediately while Kim and I informed family, cried and prayed together. Over the next couple days, Dad was intubated, sedated and dialysis was started. Antibiotics started for possible pneumonia...medicines and machines turned up and down as his condition required. Dad was diagnosed with Influenza which meant everyone had to gown and glove up to see him. Healthy people take 5-10 days to recover from the flu but Dad would take longer. Often it seemed like it was one step forward, two steps back.
It is amazing how quickly medical terms, monitors, machines, etc become "familiar and normal" and the beeps and sounds became a comfort. (R-CHOP chemotherapy, Tumor Lysis Syndrome, Ventilator settings, Edema, Peritoneal Dialysis or Hemodialysis, Intubation, Bronchoalveolar lavage, X-rays, Heparin, Sedation, Mean Arterial Pressure, etc).
Supper at Roadhouse for after a long day, refreshed by food and time with family. We tried to shield the younger kids from the really tough stuff while being honest with them about the gravity of the situation. Thankfully the kids were resilient through this difficult time.
While I don't normally put much belief in fortune cookies messages, I opened one this week that had a message inside that was very true..."It is during difficult times that true friends become apparent." Mark and I were incredibly blessed to have our friend, Kim walk this journey along side us. Both Mom and Dad adopted her into their family and we know how much Dad appreciated her visits and care. It seems insufficient to just say "Thank you" but there are not enough words to show our gratitude.
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