The Journal

We've been blessed, my dad is coming up on his eighth year of being in remission.  The first year we had a celebration, something we should do again - it's an achievement worth celebrating and remembering.

I can usually pretend that my dad wasn't that sick.  But, truth be told - he was and he documented most of his experiences in a journal.  It's from his journal I'm reminded that he:

• Was usually so tired and his legs so weak that he would stay in my 'old' bedroom (versus heading up another flight of stairs to my parents room).
• Was in the hospital or visiting the doctor more than I realized.
• Hated wearing his glasses because his scalp and head were so sensitive and severely itchy.
• Had 18 doctor visits with 8 different Dr's. or specialists to confirm "something" was wrong between May 16 and August 30th.  It wasn't until his favorite doctor contacted a colleague at Mayo that we learned what my dad had - T-Cell Lymphoma.
• Had prepared documents regarding his last wishes.  (Something I'm still not comfortable thinking about).
• Has lost feeling in his fingers and toes.  

Even though he's in remission, both him and my mom are on constant guard that a recurrence will occur.  A simple ache to me or you, could be a sign that his lymphoma is back.   And, if does come back ... he's ready to fight it. 







In fact, if you ask him if he could do treatment again - he'll say something along the lines of ... "Sure, I beat it once, I can do it again."  That's my dad.