My dad - one of the few people I've known my whole life - has never had major health issues until this year, when we discovered that, at the age of 78, he has transitional cell carcinoma on the lining of his bladder. Once in the hospital to treat the then-undiagnosed problem, doctors also discovered that he had double pneumonia.
My mother, married to Dad for almost 58 years, was the only person allowed to visit him in his hospital room, but I knew that she was alone in the house. After preaching in Grove, Oklahoma, on Sunday, I headed toward Oklahoma City to see her. My brother lives a half-hour away, so he is able to look in on her and help her if she needs a little extra support, but I knew she needed both of her sons around her in a very trying time.
Dad's situation was serious. Doctors were doing everything they could live of doing, but they were not able to stop the bleeding, and the pneumonia was limiting their ability to do very much of anything for a long period of time. He underwent a couple of invasive procedures, but was soon placed in the Intensive Care Unit on a ventilator.
When Mom went to the hospital on Monday, I met my brother at his speaking engagement before a gathering of Oklahoma veterans. We were able to spend some rare, uninterrupted time in his office where we could converse on a variety of topics. After leaving him, I drove across the street to wander the outdoor exhibits of the 45th Infantry Thunderbirds. Since my elementary school mascot was the Thunderbird, I was able to relate to the logo of this unit, which became important around the World War II era. It was a chance to appreciate the beautiful weather and reflect on the time period between then and now - roughly my dad's lifetime. | |