Online "Guestbook"

Please feel free, if you haven't done so already, to leave a comment for/about my dad here.

Save the Date

We're planning a celebration of my father's life on Sunday, February 12 at the Grand Haven Community Center (421 Columbus Avenue) in Grand Haven, MI....probably from 2-4pm.  We may have a meal together and then share stories or memories of him.

In the meantime, if you want to plan something to say or if you want to dig up some photos, letters, or artifacts and scan, email, or snail mail them to me, you're welcome to do so. It'd be nice to get a good variety of artifacts; all of my photos betray my father's affinity for incredibly intelligent, adorable, half-Asian children. :)

Sad news

My dad passed away at about 12:20am. Victor was able to get into town at 3pm, and Rosalyn got here at 10:30 or 11pm or so. I was grateful that the whole family was together.

I'll keep you posted on arrangements. Thanks for all of your prayers and love.

Seizures?

I received a phone call from my dad's neurologist's office saying that my dad might be having seizures.

I had called yesterday to report an increase in my dad's tremors. The neurologist, my mom, and I had talked about this last Wednesday when we had the neurologist appointment, and the neurologist increased the intensity of my dad's deep brain stimulator.

I had really just started noticing this change last Tuesday, when we moved him to hospice. Every once in a while (maybe every 10 to 40 minutes), my dad would get a whole-body tremor . . . well, in his arms and legs. He usually had been resting or sleeping, but his eyes would fly open and he would look sort of scared or surprised or stricken for a little while (less than a minute) and then his body would relax again. My mom said he did that very regularly -- every ten minutes or so -- that first Tuesday night. I had thought it might be related to adjusting to the new catheter, especially because he had complained of pain in that region. That was a week ago. When we had the neurologist appointment last Wednesday, he said my dad could be having seizures, but it would be pretty difficult to tell. They seemed to die down a little bit after that, so I thought the deep brain stimulator had fixed it.

However, yesterday the episodes seemed to pick up again. Tonight I visited my dad around dinnertime, and in the hour that I was there, my dad had three or four of those episodes. I had called last night to describe what I was seeing, despite the adjustment to the deep brain stimulator, and this morning I had a message saying that this sounded like seizure activity. It's still kind of hard to tell because he has Parkinson's, but these episodes are pretty different from what I've seen before with his tremor.

I don't think my dad ate or drank too much today, either.

My dad didn't eat or drink anything today. He wasn't able to be coaxed to open his mouth for his lunchtime meds, though he managed to take his evening medications and chew on a couple of ice cubes. Ugh.

Visitors and Rest

Shirley and Pat

My dad has been resting a lot since he arrived at the Munson Hospice House. He has also had several visitors. Doug and Mary came to visit last Wednesday, on the 25th. I took my dad to an appointment at the neurologist that day, after they visited. Although the nurse helped me transfer him into the car from the Hospice House, I had to transfer him out of my car and then back into it at the doctor's office. That was horrendously difficult this time; he isn't able to support himself at all anymore, I think. Wednesday was probably the last time I'll try to move him on my own.

Marilyn and Pat

Thursday, he had four friends visit: Pat, Shirley, (another) Pat, and Marilyn. They're old friends of my father's from his neighborhood and from college, and I know my dad was thrilled to see them. They brought some photos to show my dad, especially some where my dad looked very much like my brother. On Thursday night, I think, or perhaps it was Friday night, my dad's friend from work, Phil, came to visit. He stayed for a nice long visit, and he also provided some really kind-hearted, useful advice. Thanks to all of you for coming up in the snow to visit!

Phil

There has been a pretty noticeable physical change since my dad moved to the Munson Hospice House. Although his sleep has ebbed and flowed over the course of these past several months, he has definitely been sleeping more. More noticeably, though, has been his change in appetite. He was still eating pretty hearty meals before moving to hospice, but now he just takes a little bit of soup. He hasn't been drinking much, either, though he still likes to chew on some ice cubes. He's still taking pretty much the same medication he was taking before, except that he isn't taking the blood thinners anymore and he IS taking some pain medication. The day he arrived, he began using a catheter, and he complained of some pain associated with that. (He hadn't really been complaining of pain until this point.) My father also has experienced some decreased responsiveness; he doesn't seem to try to talk anymore, and I haven't really seem him smile or laugh in a while, either.

The volunteers and nurses and aids are really nice. The daughter of one of the volunteers came to say hi and cheer my dad up, and another volunteer brought in a beautiful British Golden Retriever for some pet (no pun intended) therapy. My mom is still there with him pretty much all of the time, and I've gone to see him almost every day. I've been reading some John Shelby Spong to him, which I know he loves. He has at least been staying awake for it, and reading has at least been therapeutic for me.

Settled in

My dad left Birchwood today after he finished his lunch. It was pretty sad; it's funny how attached you can get to people after just a few months. They were helpful to my dad and really nice to us. My dad's childhood friends, Doug and Mary, have also been helpful. They helped my mom and me transport my dad's belongings. More to come soon! His birthday post and this one are both placeholders. Tomorrow my dad has a follow-up appointment with his neurologist here. Thursday some of his other childhood/college buddies will visit. More soon!

BIRTHDAY!

clockwise from back: Randy, Marie, Ann

On Saturday we had a fun party with family and friends. My brother and sister were able to be there, as well as some of our family friends from Cadillac: Ann, Randy, and Marie.Some of his closest friends from little league to high school to college also came to celebrate my dad's big day.
In addition, one of his exchange students was able to find a ride up to Traverse City from the kindness in Laura's heart. She drove some of the exchange students up to do some fun winter activities so that Dimitar was also able to celebrate with my family, as well.

Mary, Ed, and Doug

The party was awesome. It started at around 12:30pm, and we went blowing past the 4pm finish time to about 6pm. My dad was alert and responsive the entire time. It was really fun to be near people who have known him from different times in his life because I got to hear a lot of stories. For example, my dad played a lot of baseball with the neighbor kids; their team was the "Delaware Punchies." Somehow they ended up playing ball against a prison team, and they got their butts whooped (figuratively, not literally). My dad was amazingly responsive to the stories -- he smiled or laughed at all the right times or nodded his head if someone asked if he remembered the story. There was also a story about a Chinese fire drill. I guess my dad used to drive a little Simca in high school, and at a stoplight he said, "Hey, let's do a Chinese fire drill!" The guys all ran around the car and got back into their regular spots, the light turned green, but the car didn't move; no one was in the driver's seat! One of the guys had to get out and drive the car over to my dad's house, where they saw him sitting on the front stoop laughing his fool head off. I guess the stoplight had been really close to my dad's house, so he had played a prank and had run all the way home.

Today, on his actual birthday, Ed, Mary, and Doug stopped by to celebrate. Ed visited in the morning, and Doug and Mary came a little later. My dad also had a lot of cards and messages (thank you, everyone!) and he was alert the whole time!

In the afternoon we also had a meeting at the Munson Hospice House and all decided that my dad will move there tomorrow.

Birthday Party Invitation: Saturday, January 21st, 12 - 4pm

This is a friendly reminder of my dad's 67th birthday party this Saturday, January 21st.

What: Sherm's 67th birthday party

Where: Birchwood  (map) "Resident Lounge" 

@ the front door, punch in the code 0112* (the month, the year, and star) 

when you get to the nurses' station, the Resident Lounge is to the right.

When: Saturday, January 21st, 12pm - 4pm (come and go as you need to)

My sister will be flying in and arriving at 3:30, so I'm going to extend the party a little to 4pm or so. We'll have a party sub, some snacks, cake, and ice cream. There's no need for gifts; it'll be great if my dad can just be surrounded by adoring fans. :) He might fall asleep at some point for a nap, but I hope we can all enjoy each other's company and swap stories, anyway.

Call, text, or email if you have questions or need directions or anything: 231.750.6906 / elrobins@gmail.com

Back @ Birchwood

My dad was discharged this morning from Munson and returned to Birchwood via a swanky ambulance ride. (Birchwood's transportation service was booked.)

He spent the majority of this past weekend sleeping. My mom had to wake him up for his meals, which he eventually ate. He would sort of fall asleep during the meal, sometimes. Today, after he was discharged from the hospital at about 11:30am, he slept until almost 3pm, when we fed him a little soup. He did have old high school and college friends, Doug and Mary, stop by for a really nice visit. They filled in some great stories about my dad's life before I knew him, and it was fun to hear those. Doug was having trouble remembering the names of my dad's two English Springer Spaniels. He remembered one was "Barney" from the Barney Miller show, but he couldn't remember the name of the other dog. I said it was Wilbur, and when my dad woke up we tried to ask him. If you ask me, I think I heard him say "Wilbur" in response . . .

 Much of today was spent discussing the possibility of hospice. My mom and I toured the Munson Hospice House yesterday, and it's a beautiful facility. My family and I are trying to decide whether to stay this last week at Birchwood for a final treatment of chemotherapy or whether to move him to hospice this week. I think that my dad improved a little under the chemo last time, but the CT scan from the hospital on Friday said that there hasn't been much of a change in the size of his tumor. The oncologist said that if we didn't want to go with hospice this week, the he would recommend it after this final round of chemo.

It's been tough, and it's hard not to be able to ask my dad what he wants. He's looking a little more uncomfortable now. His nose has been really stuffed up. He has been receiving saline treatments to try to clear the blockage, but he's having trouble making the conscious effort to blow his nose, so that when he speaks he sounds extremely nasally and difficult to understand. He has started breathing through his mouth a little more, which I think is good because it helps him get the oxygen he needs, but it also has the side effect of making him look like a pretty sick man. I wonder so much about what he's thinking when he opens his eyes and looks around, and I really wish that when he spoke, it was loudly enough for me to understand what he's saying. I think that not being able to communicate has been the most difficult thing about all of this.

In the hospital, I mentioned my dad's birthday on the 23rd and how I'd like a party in Traverse City and a party in Grand Haven. My family has decided that because of my dad's condition, we'll just have one party here in Traverse City. I apologize to everyone who lives downstate because I know my dad would love to go to a service at C3 Exchange (he definitely lived and breathed for that organization), but it sounds too risky. From what the doctor said, moving him around too much might cause the blood clot in his leg to dislodge, which would be a pretty quick end for my dad. The doctor at the hospital had also said that passing away on your way to see your friends might not be such a bad way to go, but I think that comment sort of gave my family cold feet.

The doctor did say that for most patients with brain cancer, the cause of death will usually be either a blood clot somewhere or swelling in the brain. Eventually the swelling will expand so that it looks for the only way out of the skull: the opening through which the spinal cord travels. At that point, it's difficult for the heart to get the signal to continue beating. The doctor also said the swelling is probably what is causing my dad to be so sleepy because it's limiting the functionality of his brain; eventually he may slip into a coma. This was all hard news to hear, but I do appreciate the ability to let that information sink in.

So again, you are all invited:

What: Sherm's 67th birthday party

When: Saturday, January 21, Noon-3pm

Where: Birchwood, 2950 LaFranier Rd., Traverse City, MI 49686

We'll have sandwiches or pizza or something and some cake and ice cream. No need for gifts or anything; your presence is wonderful. Let me know if you'd like to attend: 231.750.6906 or elrobins@gmail.com or simply post a comment on the blog here.

Blood clot

Stupid Friday the 13th...I shouldn't have made that crappy "ominous" joke yesterday. My dad had an appointment with the medical oncologist today. We decided to go through one more round of chemo, starting Monday. Afterwards we'll get another CT scan to assess the situation. My mom, again, brought up the swelling in his left angle. He's actually had this swelling since November, I'd say. I also feel like I brought it up every time I saw a doctor, but no one seemed concerned or ordered an ultrasound today. I feel upset about that, but perhaps it's my fault for not making a bigger deal of it.

At any rate, my dad went back to Birchwood after the oncologist, in time to catch a visitor! John worked with my dad in Cadillac AND in Muskegon. It's pretty cool that he was able to stop by for a visit, despite the snow. At 4:30pm my dad returned to the hospital for the ultrasound, and it was immediately determined that my dad has a sizable clot in his left leg. He has been admitted to the hospital (Munson), where my mom and I are currently helping with dinner. He's getting some blood thinners. I guess it's common to get clots if you have cancer, but the thinning medication can really cause problems with excessive bleeding if he happens to injure himself. I'm not sure how long he'll be here, but of course I'll keep you posted.

Birthday Plans

Thank you all for your patience! I'm thinking that we'll have a small party here in Traverse City on Saturday, January 21st, and then another party in Grand Haven on Sunday, January 22nd. I know my dad would really enjoy a service at C3, so I'll try to get him there for the service and then maybe a little gathering afterward. I'm still ironing out the details, but I know many of you are waiting for news. I'll post details once I have some...perhaps tomorrow or Saturday.

My dad also has an appointment with his oncologist (the cancer doctor) tomorrow, Friday, January 13th. (Ominous, I know.) We'll discuss chemo and whether we'll continue treatment and also the possibility of Hospice. My dad has a follow-up appointment with his radiation oncologist to see how radiation worked, but that appointment isn't until March, which feels like lightyears away.

We've got a little blizzard a-brewin' up here; I hope everyone stays safe and warm!

New Plans for a New Year

I hope you all had a happy and safe new year! Thank you very much to my Aunt Ann and her son Randy for making the drive from Cadillac to visit my dad on New Year's Eve. I wish I could have been there, but I know it meant a lot to my dad. You have been such longtime family friends and supporters!

On New Year's Eve, Chad and I stopped by with a bottle of champagne to celebrate with my dad at around 8:30 or 9pm, but my dad had just finished a bath and was put into bed when we arrived. He fell asleep within minutes of getting into bed so we didn't get to crack open the champagne, but it felt good to be together on New Year's Eve, anyway. On New Year's Day, my Aunt Oi and Uncle Liem came by my house and showed me how to make a delicious Vietnamese dish called "bahn cuon." My mom brought some to my dad for dinner, and he ate it all. Yippee!

In this new year, my family is faced with a couple of decisions. The Medicare coverage of my dad's stay at Birchwood will end on January 19, so we have to decide what to do after that. Hospice is covered under my dad's insurance, so I my dad and I met with an admissions coordinator from Hospice on Friday. For me there has always been such a stigma around Hospice, and I'm worried my dad will also "give up" if he knows Hospice is working with him. He fell asleep during the meeting, almost as soon as the woman from admissions introduced herself. I was wondering if that's the only way my dad can cope with this idea. I don't know. I know that when my grandmother and my great aunt moved to Muskegon to be closer to our family so my dad could help them, they were not at all themselves in an unfamiliar town surrounded by unfamiliar neighbors and no friends. I've often thought about that, and now that experience seems especially poignant. I do know that I can offer more help to my father here, and I know he has so many good friends who are willing to travel to see him, but I'm definitely concerned about taking him away from his environment and his friends. Hospice could come to visit him at a nursing facility or at my home (or his home, if we chose that), but the most important thing to me is that my dad is where he wants to be. I've tried asking him on a couple of occasions, but even if he has been answering my previous questions with a nod or shake of the the head, he doesn't respond when I ask, "Would you like to stay in Traverse City or would you like to return to Muskegon?" I'll try asking again, but if any of you have experiences that you'd like to share or any direction or advice, I'd gladly listen.

With this January will also come my dad's 67th birthday. His joke is that his "birthdate is a poker straight," which means his birthday is exactly 3 weeks from today, on the 23rd. I was thinking it might be nice to have a birthday party, and I would be willing to drive him to Muskegon or Grand Haven for a Saturday or Sunday. I have two questions, then: (1) Is there interest for this? and (2) If so, would anyone like to help me plan/coordinate something?

 All righty, that's all for now. Talk to you soon!

Radiation, Chemo, and Christmas

My dad's last day of radiation was on Monday, December 12th. (Yay!) My mom brought my dad to that appointment, and she said that when patients finish their round of radiation, they get to ring a bell to signify that they're done. She has a photo of my dad ringing the bell, and I'll see if I can get my hands on it. I guess my dad will have an appointment in 3 months to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. When my dad left the treatment center, they gave him the screen-ish mold of his head that they used in order to focus the radiation on the tumor. I'm not exactly sure what we're supposed to do with it, but while I was visiting one night, my dad thought it made a pretty good bonnet. I can't say I disagree.

On December 21st my dad had an appointment with a neurologist here in Traverse City. He checked out my dad's "deep brain stimulator" to make sure everything was in order, and I think that appointment went pretty well. The neurologist was super nice, and he was also a Michigan grad. When my mom pointed out that my dad had also graduated from Michigan, the neurologist said, "I know; I saw his ring." haha...my dad never takes that ring off. I remember that when I was a kid, I promised myself that I'd get myself a ring just like it someday. Don't get me wrong --  I chickened out when I discovered that the ring was a little more expensive than I'd bargained for. At least I got a degree, though, right?

Christmas was laid back, for the most part, but my dad got to spend some time with family and friends. One of his former exchange students was able to come up here for a couple of days before Christmas. On Friday, December 23rd, we all piled into the car to pick up my dad for a surprise treat: It's a Wonderful Life was playing at the local State Theater, and I know it's my dad's favorite movie (aside from West Side Story). When we arrived at Birchwood to get my dad, though, we discovered that Birchwood was hosting it's own Christmas party, complete with Santa Claus. All of the residents from my dad's wing gathered in the dining hall and waited for a rather feisty and humorous Santa. When Santa asked a guy at our table, "Have you been good this year?" and the man answered "No," Santa said, "Well, I like your honesty. Have a gift!" Santa came by and commented on the U of M Santa hat my dad was wearing (thanks to Karen and Marsha), and then posed for a photo. My dad was touched, actually, and even got a little teary eyed. (I think he's been a little more emotional lately.) Even with the surprise Christmas party, we made it to the movie on time. The theater was packed, and they had a really good energy. There were people of all ages, and an usher  was passing out bells to ring at the end of the movie, when Clarence gets his wings. Although Chad, my mom, and my dad all dozed off at one point or another during the film, my dad seemed to really enjoy himself. He was rather attentive and laughed at all the right times and all that good stuff. I, myself, always get a particularly big kick out of the part where George Bailey asks Clarence to show him Mary, and Clarence says, "You won't like what you see, George: she's an old maid." (dun dun dun...)


My dad's exchange student left on Christmas Eve, and then my sister, brother, and my uncle and aunt arrived. My aunt said that when they went to visit my dad for the first time, my dad cried. I'm sure he's trying to process a lot, but I do hope he knows how much everyone loves him. My aunt and uncle will be here for two weeks from San Francisco, and they've gone to visit him every day. I'm sure my dad appreciates seeing some new faces every now and again, and a personal bonus for me is that I get to enjoy some of my aunt's exceptional cooking skills!!

On Christmas Day, my former pediatrician, Dr. Chang, her granddaughter, Anna, and Anna's husband, Frank, stopped by from Cadillac for a visit. They came to my house, and while they waited for my boyfriend to retrieve my dad from the nursing home, they had happy visit with my mom, and a lot of excited Mandarin Chinese was spoken. I was happy, since I can actually understand some Mandarin. (My mom's family usually uses Cantonese.) They had brought us some delicious Xinjiang Pears, which were a fun treat. When my dad arrived, though, he was the man of the hour. He drank some tea and Heineken, and listened to everyone talk. He wasn't too talkative, himself, and I know he doesn't like too much of a fuss made, but I know he was glad to see everyone.

We opened gifts after my pediatrician and her family left, and afterwards we had a spectacular Christmas dinner. My dad had nearly spoiled his dinner by eating a bunch of chocolate-dipped Oreos that I'd given him as a gift. Still, he managed to eat some honey ham and continue nursing his Heineken. We all ate probably a little too much, and of course my dad finished it off with a big bowl
of chocolate ice cream. When it was all said and done, I don't think my dad made it back to Birchwood until 9:30 or 10pm, but I think it was a beautiful Christmas with the family. Even Charlie, my dad's cat, really seems to have liked Christmas. He's the type of cat who really likes to hide, though, so I think that more than anything, he has appreciated having a small place of reprieve amongst all the people coming and going. There have been many times when I haven't been able to find Charlie, and then I see a little white and brown tail or a little pink nose poking out from under the branches. (10 points if you can find the cat.)

On a final note, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who showered my dad with cards and notes for the holiday season. Your thoughtfulness is so moving! It took several shifts to read all the cards to him, and I'm certain that no one else at Birchwood (or in Traverse City or even in Michigan) received so many heartfelt notes and warm wishes over the past couple of weeks. I can't speak for my dad, but for me, your positive energy is ever-present. Despite my strongest inclinations to despair, it's just so darn hard with such wonderful people supporting us! I hope you have a happy and safe New Year!

My dad, mom, and I met with my dad's medical oncologist today. We decided to try to go ahead with chemotherapy starting in January. This was our second time meeting with this oncologist; the first time was in October. My dad slept through both appointments. :/ at any rate, the oncologist said there's a 10-20% chance of chemo helping, but we're willing to give it a shot. I know I don't say this nearly enough, but thank you to all of you for your support. I apologize for not checking in with you to see how you're coping; unfortunately, I've been so hyper-focused on myself. I hope you have good support systems if you're feeling down. I'm so happy that my dad has you in his life.

I just wanted to say a quick thank-you to Linda for stopping by for a visit with my dad tonight. I was just passing through after work, and I barged in on their conversation. Thanks again, and I hope you were able to have a nice chat with my dad despite the disruption! :)

On Cruise Control

Things are going pretty smoothly for now. My dad's been doing two hours of physical therapy every day: one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon. Last week he was getting two hours of therapy in the morning, which left him pretty exhausted by the afternoon. Last Wednesday or so he had a visitor but was so tired from the therapy that, unfortunately, he had to stay in bed. For the most part he's doing well with just some momentary lapses. For example, I played in a jazz band last Saturday and was able to bring my dad to the concert. However, I noticed with a twinge that when he applauded, the applause wasn't as ear-splittingly powerful as it's been my whole life. He always managed to hit his hands together in that sweet spot that gave maximum volume for minimum effort; it's a clap I've been working 29 years to perfect. My dad's applause, though, besides being quiter than I'm used to, went on amusingly long. I'm still glad he got to get out and come to my jazz concert, though. Tomorrow we have our last meeting with the radiation oncologist for a while. I guess after tomorrow, we'll meet with him again in three months to assess the efficacy of the radiation treatment. Three months seems excruciatingly long to me, but I guess this will be a good exercise in patience and living in the moment.

Thanksgiving, Victory, 70 Steps

We had a nice big Thanksgiving meal last Thursday. Thanks for the Thanksgiving messages many of you sent us! Here's a picture of our family and our feast.

On Saturday my dad and I watched Ohio State lose to Michigan in football. That was a pretty awesome day. :) He's definitely losing some hair from the radiation treatments, but when I asked if he wanted me to shave his head, he looked at me like I was crazy, which I took to be a "no." haha

Today my dad started physical therapy. My mom reports that he walked 70 steps today. You can see him with his physical therapist below. Pretty awesome, eh?

Walk to Dance

My dad has been doing much better recently! He has even taken a few steps here or there. He's good at lifting himself up from the wheelchair by pushing off from the arms of the chair, which means that I hardly have to do any work at all to get him up. On Sunday of this week, when he stood up, my mom, brother, sister, and brother-in-law were gathered all around. It was great. He balanced himself by putting his two hands on my mom's shoulders, and then he said, "I'm dancing!" With his jelly legs bouncing a little and his body swaying, he really did look like he was dancing; it was a happy moment.

Then yesterday afternoon, Ian came to visit and my dad had a good conversation during which he (my dad) spoke pretty proudly of his most recent "BM," as he called it. My dad was really excited to see Ian, though, and I think it was the first time since early October that my dad has spoken more than two words about how he's feeling.

I think his main complaint about his stay at Birchwood is that he's always surrounded by women who are trying to control him by not allowing him to get up and walk around whenever he feels like it. Although he's been taking a few shuffling steps, he still should have someone spotting him or holding onto him a little bit. After Ian left, my dad and I took another little walk, and my dad started doing an animated, bouncy little dance step and humming a little waltz. I walked beside him, holding his waist, doing the little bounce step, too. It's really been a fun few days here.

Because my dad is regaining some strength, he's also getting a little bit more feisty, too. As I mentioned earlier, he's been "arguing" with the nurses more. He really resists having to wait for someone to assist him now; for example, when he's ready to get out of bed, he'd prefer to just get up and walk to the bathroom to himself, even though he's really not steady enough yet. When I wheeled him to the dining room, I walked down the hall to leave, and when I turned around, my dad had sort of scooted himself out into the hall to follow me.

It was actually a pretty happy sight for me, since he hasn't taken control of his own "transportation" in about a month. He was just re-evaluated today to see if he can begin physical therapy again, though, so I hope he'll start physical therapy soon and be able to walk with just a walker or something. Keep your fingers crossed!

Visitors, Orchestra...Weight-Bearing!

I'm trying to add a "scheduling" function to the blog so that you can see who's visiting when and sort of arrange your own visits directly on this blog. It doesn't appear to be working, so I'll keep tinkering with it.

A few quick updates --

Last Wednesday (Nov. 9), I went with my dad to his radiation appointment. He was pretty awake on the drive back, and he was in a good mood, too. His bus driver is a wonderful woman who's not only friendly but entertaining, as well. When I told my dad that I liked her, he said, "Me too. . . she's in-your-face!" I thought that was funny.

On Friday, Nov. 11, some family from Toronto arrived to visit my dad for the weekend. We also had a surprise visit by my dad's friend, Sam. My dad was asleep when we all arrived, so we let him sleep for another half hour while we all got more acquainted with each other in the lounge area. Then I actually went back to my dad's room to wake him up. He enjoyed the visit and was laughing at our jokes. This was also "Pocky Day" since the date was 11.11.11, and the number 1 looks sort of like Pocky (an Asian snack). I brought some for my dad to try, and he held it like a cigarette. Ha!

Pocky Day

It was a pretty neat day. Sam said he had thought about wearing some Michigan gear to make my dad happy, but since he was an alum of Ohio State, I guess he just couldn't bring himself to do it. I guess my dad and Sam have a history of razzing each other for their school pride. Sam said that he used to spend all weekend coming up with zingers for my dad, and my dad said, "That's about what you'd expect from someone who went to OSU." I do have to say that with my dad's fatigue and stuff, his condition is particularly well suited to one-liners. This is a blessing since one-liners are a specialty of his.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, my cousins and aunt visited my dad in the morning. My cousin Cindy brought photos to show my dad from her visit to us at Christmas 20 years ago. My brother, sister and I appeared to be giving a concert with an electric keyboard and mics and stuff -- clearly new Christmas gifts. There was a photo of my dad, beardless and quite a bit heavier, tinkering away on the piano. Those photos were a HOOT!

Later in the evening, we all went to an orchestra concert. It was a great concert, but at times my dad's Parkinson's tremor got sort of loud. Part of me was really embarrassed/nervous that he was distracting others in the audience, but I tried to quiet that voice by reminding myself that it's awesome that my dad can get out to hear some live music. I'll have to remember to be less upset when other people distract me during concerts in the future.nAt the end, during the standing ovation, my dad said that he wanted to stand, too! When we all got out to the parking lot after the concert and it was time for me to transfer him from the wheelchair to the car, though, he actually DID stand. I mean, not totally on his own, but I felt like I hardly had to lift him! He used his arms to assist me in getting him to his feet, and then he really was able to bear much of the weight on his own. He even shuffled his right foot to get closer to the car, but I've noticed that he really doesn't seem to have the ability to control his left leg/foot at all. When he tries to take a step with his left foot, his left leg kind of buckles. I hope to get him back on physical therapy soon. I can't remember if I've already mentioned that the physical therapists stopped doing therapy a couple of weeks ago because they said he wasn't making progress anymore, but now with the steroids, it'd be great for him to start up again.

Welp, tomorrow we begin Week 3 of treatment!