Christmas Miracle

Christmas wishes do come true. Despite the Shingles and all that goes with that particular malady, I can say that life is good. The sporadic back and leg pains as well as a dull headache still plague me. Who knew that my headache was one of the symptoms?

The last two years have been trying as my Dad battles cancer. Watching him shrink before my eyes has been the most emotionally painful thing I have ever experienced. Not watching was not an option. I have treasured every single moment I got to spend with him.

When the oncologist pronounced that there was nothing left to be done, that the cancer had won, we all took turns crying on the porch. He had struggled through the chemo all summer as weak as could be. Needing more help than he wanted to admit. My Daddy has always been the care GIVER and was not ready to be taken care of. There were times when I knew he was in pain. He would never say so, unless the pain became more than he could bear. The scowl on his face told me so, though. His need to go take a nap was his way of escaping all those caring eyes.

Hospice moved in and the chemo was discontinued. As the chemo left his body we would notice small improvements in his daily life. Still using a walker, he seemed to be able to stand longer and walk a little further. His hand tremors disappeared and he became more interested in his surroundings. When I left to come back home the second week in December, I was cautiously optimistic because he was feeling so much better.

My plans were to come home for my wedding anniversary and Christmas, then plan my next visit. And you know what they say about best laid plans. I knew I didn't feel good when I left and that my back and leg were hurting, but figured it was the long hours driving. Little did I know that I would end up being confined for nearly 3 weeks.

I remained worried about my Dad for the last month. Christmas came and went and all I wanted was for my Daddy to feel good again. I prayed for him daily. I researched every cancer site I could find on-line and none of them offered much hope for him. All I asked for was that he would not be in pain, and that his quality of life would improve.

I called him a couple of days before the New Year and got no answer, left a message. Didn't give it much thought. He was still mobile and plenty of step family lives close by to help. Called again on New Year's Eve. No answer in the morning, or again in the afternoon. I was worried. I decided to wait until 5:00 and went on with my daily routine of sitting in front of the TV until pain decided to stab at me and cause me to pace until it subsided.

During a rotation through the kitchen the phone rang. I knew it had to be either Mama or Daddy calling me back. I resisted the urge to demand to know where they had been. Mama sounded happy and that is how I always know how my Dad's day is going.

They had been to the doctor's office and shopping, then out to eat!. My Dad was so excited to tell me he had not even had a nap! He went on to talk about how good the fried catfish was and that his sense of taste had come back, He reported a weight gain of 19 lbs. and his "heart" doctor likes his blood pressure.

It is a Christmas Miracle! I am over he moon with happiness that my Daddy is feeling so good. Not sure what it means as far as the cancer goes, but just to hear him feeling so good means the world to me!