Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Crazy Month of May

I'm going to misquote Julius Caesar and say "Beware the Ides of May". What a crazy month! It definitely had some highs and some lows.

At the beginning of May, my dad finally went to a doctor and had some tests done. He found out that he had cancer and needed to start chemotherapy right away. The type of chemotherapy that he needed to undergo required him to remain in the hospital for a week at a time, with a two week break between sessions. On the morning of his first chemo session, as he was just finishing getting hooked up to all the monitors and tubes, he got a call from my grandpa saying that my grandmother had passed away unexpectedly. It was a pretty rough morning for my dad and family needless to say. We were able to postpone the funeral long enough for my dad to finish his first round. He got out of the hospital the morning of the viewing. When we arrived at the viewing, we found out that my uncle's stepson had been in an accident and was being rushed to the hospital. The next morning at the funeral, we found out that he had passed away. Aunt Holly, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Jared, and my dad all spoke at the funeral and gave wonderful tributes to my grandmother. I learned so much about her that I had never known. It made me sad that I had not spent more time learning about the person she was. I regret not having spent more time with her. It is sad that you learn more about a person at their funeral than you did while they were alive.
Although there was a lot of sadness surrounding the deaths of my grandmother and my Uncle's stepson, my family had a lot of things to be grateful for. The hospital where my dad receives his treatments is only a few blocks from my house and so I can visit him often when he is there. He is always on the 9th floor and it has an amazing view. This is a sunset taken from his room.


So many neighbors and friends have expressed their concern for me and my family. I am so thankful to be surrounded by so many wonderful and amazing people. My dad will start his 4th and last session of chemo this coming Monday. So far it has been a pretty long and painful process for him, but it has been working. The tumor he had in his abdomen is completely gone.

During May, I was also able to take my motorcycle safety class. I finally got my motorcycle!! It's great to ride around on and so far I have managed not to hit anything and to not be hit.


May ended on a high note with our family trip to Hawaii. Luckily my dad's doctor felt that life is meant to be enjoyed and gave him permission to go. It's getting late now so the Hawaii trip is going to have to be it's own new post.