My Dad Had A Stroke/part one

I took Seth to the airport on the first Friday in May.  He was flying out to Vegas to enjoy his birthday gift, the super cross race.  Early Saturday morning, the phone rang.  It was my oldest sister telling me that my dad had been rushed to the hospital early that morning and that they thought he had a stroke.  This is a call that I have always dreaded.  My dad is 72 but you would never know it.  He has always been active, riding horses, four wheelers, hiking in the mountains, working on his property to make it look good.  And let me just tell you, it always looks so good!  In my mind, he is still young and has many, many years left on this earth.
That weekend, I stayed close by my phone waiting for updates on his condition.  The children could see the worry and sadness in my eyes, in my actions.  I told them about grandpa and they were so worried themselves.  I went down memory lane of when my own grandmother, my dad's mom, had passed away.  I was a young girl and it was the saddest thing I had experienced up to that point in my short life.  Now, as an adult, I can't imagine how hard that was for my dad to have to say goodbye to his mom at such a young age.  He was only in his thirty's.

Laurel and Savannah expressed themselves through letters, that they wanted mailed to him ASAP.

I looked out my bedroom window, and saw Laurel in deep thought, writing.  About an hour later she brought me this letter.

It was very hard for us to be in Alabama and him in Utah.
Seth returned home and told me that he thought I should fly out there for a long weekend.
I flew out a couple of weeks later.  In the two weeks before I arrived, dad had been taken to a different hospital that had a stroke unit.  He had spent about 4 days laying flat on his back, with his head dropped, to keep his blood pressure down.  He had another MRI, which showed that he had a stroke in his brain stem, which was causing his left side to become paralyzed and his speech to slur.  The stroke team immediately began speech, physical, and occupational therapy.  Hooray, for therapists and good doctors!  He received a sleep study, which showed he needed to be on a CPAP machine.  Lack of oxygen to the brain, during the night, over an extended period of time, probably contributed to the stroke.
He had already come so far.

I was so excited to lay my eyes on this man!!    Dad was so blessed at how far he had come.  His speech was so much better.  His left side was improving and he could use his left arm better.  He was able to get up, with assistance, and walk slowly.  I was so relieved to see him!  I was a little anxious at first because I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was so relieved when I saw him and started talking to him.  He was the same dad!   His  mind, sense of humor, and personality were  just like they had always been.  Such a relief!

And while I was away, Seth attended Savannah's end of the year party!  So grateful for this dad too!