Daddy Update

First, I have to say Thank you. A million and one thank yous. To everyone who has asked on Twitter and has left a comment, you've been supportive and helpful and I'm amazed at your generous heart. My dad is constantly surprised when I tell him someone has asked about him, has said a prayer for him, is thinking of him. I know it sounds stupid and it's absurdly cliched, but my heart swells when you ask me about him, ask how he's doing. I keep everything locked up inside. I am more than willing and able to share happy news, but talking about painful things.... well, that's not me.

So here is an update to Dad.

Dad has half-way through his first round of radiation therapy; he has 18 more to go. Because of his other health issues, he is not able to receive high doses of radiation. This is why his first course is longer. Advance, retreat. Advance, retreat.

This is the honeymoon period of his cancer treatment, when he looks good and feels good and is optimistic. The reality of his cancer will hit us with the results of his tests after the first course has been completed.

I'm not expecting to hear the cancer is gone. I'm not expecting to hear there has been a marked decrease in size.

I'm praying that I hear the tumor hasn't grown. Stopping the growth is success, to me. You have to stop it before you can reverse it or kill it or get rid of it or whatever the correct terminology is. I only know I'm praying that I don't hear that it's bigger.

We've been spending a lot of time together, and I don't mean just the two of us. I mean my son makes a point to call them more often, even though we only live three blocks away. He sleeps at their house more often. (Granted, it's the only place he's allowed to go when he's grounded, but that's another story).

This past weekend I'd a dinner for my aunt's 79th birthday (his sister). The weather was perfect, the food was awesome (patting self on shoulder) and dessert, the birthday cake, goes by the name Spectacular Orange.

We sat around the dining room table long after the meal was finished and most of the cake, as well. We talked. We laughed. We played musical chairs as we moved from conversation to conversation. It was better than Christmas and Thanksgiving rolled into one because we were celebrating not just my aunt's birthday, but my dad being able to enjoy it, as well. (And yes, there was rum involved).

Easter breakfast and dinner will be at my house, and Daddy has already put in his request for dessert - a dry-bottom shoe-fly pie. (It's cake and pie in one. Don't knock it until you try it)! And since I've announced that instead of going out to dinner for birthdays, I'll have family dinners instead, my dad has also put in a request for his birthday dessert (his birthday is April 24). He wants a lemon sponge pie. (He likes pie).

I'm thankful that he's looking forward to things, and not just the test results.