My Dad Update #3

My Dad was transferred to Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital on January 8 several hours after my last post. He receives two 45 minute sessions of Physical Therapy, two 45 minute sessions of Occupational Therapy, and one 45 minute session of Speech Therapy Five days a week. As you might imagine this makes my dad very exhausted. In the past 3 weeks he has received literally hundreds of visitors, many fruit and candy baskets, and cards of support from all over the country. All this attention makes him feel very blessed to know he has touched so many lives. Unfortunately, I had to fly back to New York on the 17th. Hopefully I can go back in a couple of weeks. Now my mom and sister have to do all of the work by themselves. I wish I could be there more... This morning, mom called to tell me that dad had a seizure and stopped breathing around 2:30 in the morning. Luckily, his roommate called the nurses for help. My dad is ok now. The seizure left him very scared and emotional (probably a mixture of the seizure and the medication prescribed for the seizure). He lost a lot of the physical improvements that he has gained from the Therapy. His coordinator at the hospital has pushed back his release date to at least Feb 8. He is eager to go home, but needs more time to build up his strength. He began the first of 30 Radiation an 42 Chemotherapy Treatments today. This makes him even more tired and with less energy to participate in rehab therapies. Thankfully he has not felt any nausea that often accompanies Chemo. Please continue to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers.