Being the first Monday holiday of the year, it was easy
to forget what day it was. Seemed more like a Sunday.
Up around 730am. The gkids, Rocky, Landon, and Olivia, were
all three sleeping on the family room sofa. Landon was up and at my side while
I prepared coffee. Right away, he asked me to make him an omelet. Poof, you’re
an omelet! J
I made coffee for myself and then a cup for both Landon
and Olivia since both were up and asking. Landon asks a question every couple
minutes. Will you make me an omelet? Will you make me coffee? Can I play Wii?
Can we fish? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Later, while walking Eiknarf with those two, I suggested
that each of them only get two questions every 15 minutes. Olivia found in
funny and quickly latched onto the “rule”. Landon pretty much disregarded my
request, asking several times more for the things he’d already asked. It’s how
he and Rocky are wired.
Nearing 9am, I opted to head out on my run before Mindy
was up and downstairs. Later, after my run, Mindy shared that the kids were a
little wild when she happened upon them downstairs while I was away. Of course
nothing bad, though.
I made the kids omelets while also making oatmeal for
Mindy and me. After breakfast, I headed out to ready a couple fishing poles for
Landon and Olivia. It didn’t take but 2 minutes before Landon to reel in a
small bluegill. And even though I insisted they only fish if they knew how and
also planned to remove their own fish from the hook, I got stuck doing it. Even
Rocky, who insists he knows how, flips out and draws his hand back as soon as
the fish flops around in the least. J I think I took three
or four off the hook over the next hour.
While the kids fished, I repaired the hose I have buried
and running around the perimeter of the house. I guess I mistakenly left the
hose on which was enough to exploit the splice I made in the same place a month
or two ago. I was concerned how long it had been running, puddling, wasting
water. When I found it, it was fully broken and gushing water. I keep an
assortment of hose repair parts around, so I had it fixed likity-split.
Mindy and I headed to the hospital mid-afternoon. Dad had
been moved out of the ICU but still in isolation which meant we still had to
wear masks. He was awake and alert, sitting up in his bed looking over the meal
they'd recently brought him. He expressed displeasure with how they left the
tray pulled up almost even with his chin which left it almost impossible for
him to work with the food. Mindy and I helped rearrange the rolling tray and
the height of the bed until it was configured well enough for him to
comfortably access his food.
The meal they brought was more like something you would
feed a hungry teenager, not someone weak and fresh out of surgery. With a
little help, he ate only the sorbet-like concoction. He was weak and spoke very
slow, and his breathing looked extremely labored. We were there for perhaps an
hour and left when he fell asleep.
The first Monday holiday now behind us, everyone was up
and off to school and work, this the last week of school for the kids. Mindy and
I planned on meeting at the hospital, but hadn't yet nailed down a time when
she left for school at her usual time of 730am. Both of us were very concerned
with his condition.
I planned on going into the office for at least part of
the day. I did my usual morning routine; meditation, internet, coffee, exercise
and a run. Ran 4 miles. Ended up working from home. Mindy called at some point
midmorning to share that she was heading to the hospital after her principal
advised that she should go to be with dad.
Dad was moved back to the ICU during the overnight after
complications with his breathing. The tried simply increasing his oxygen but
eventually reintubated, I believe sometime mid-morning Tuesday. Mindy kept me
apprised of his condition via text until I was able to free myself of work
responsibilities, shower and get up to the hospital.
In the ICU we met RN Katie. Smart, nice and cute. Not
long after my arrival, they whisked dad off for a CT scan. While he was away,
Mindy and I hung out in the waiting room. We spent most of that day at the
hospital with dad largely unresponsive, and I am pretty sure that it was a two
visit day. We left for home still awaiting the pathology report, which would
identify more specifically the type of cancer and thus steer the prognosis and
treatment plan.
May 27 - 31
Dad was intubated and would remain so until his final
day, hours, and minutes. We began this next phase of his hospital stay with
hope, hope that dad would come home from the hospital well and live the rest of
his life much as he had lived the last few years, waking each morning, going to
breakfast, going to the casino, then spending time doing whatever he wanted. We
asked the ICU staff, including nurses, doctors, and surgeons seemingly all the
right questions. I don't believe even once did their answers prepare us for such
a short number of days remaining.
Over the course of the next 12 days, however, hope began
to fade when they were unable to isolate and solve an apparent infection
causing his body temp to rise each night near 103.5 degrees. And while they
were successful at managing it down with Tylenol, they never did positively
identify its cause. The goal was to overcome the infection and then help him
get his strength back before any chemo or radiation treatment.
His days in the ICU slowly but surely began to add up.
And for all of us, the days began to blend together. As a result, we struggled
to recall with certainty what happened on which day. Friends and family came
and went, including visits from his dear friends Pete & Vicki Simsic, his
sister Ruth and two of her kids, David & Elizabeth.
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