Dad's Recovery, a visit to Ohio

I went back home to Ohio to visit my parents. My Dad has been recovering quite well since having his brain hemorrhage and surgery last summer. He has regained most of his motor skills and can do most "everyday" tasks. His speech has come back, but he still struggles with vocabulary and has some memory loss. His main obstacles are reading and writing. It has been tough on my Mom to provide the support he demands for his condition. On top of being primary caregiver, my Mom is also trying to keep the family businesses going. I commend my Dad for all of his efforts to recover, and I commend my Mom for her patience with the process. It is tough being far away from family during times like these. I went home for the weekend to try and provide my Mom just even a little respite. It was great to spend so much 1:1 time with my Dad. I don't think I have ever spent that much time with just him and I together. Usually when I am in town, I am rushing around to see old friends and cramming in as much as I can. This weekend was all about taking it slow and easy, at Dad's pace. A great deal of bonding ensued.

One project Dad has invested a great deal of his time in (before his health issues) has been the Garber Farm. The Garber family was gracious enough to donate their home and 113 acres of land to the county for use as a historical exhibit and park. My Dad was monumental with getting additional funding lined up and organizing the key projects required to turn the donated land into a park. Through collaboration with the local boyscout troops, they cleared brush and constructed a handicap-accessible boardwalk so that all may enjoy the natural beauty of the woods. They even added an ecologically friendly Eloo outhouse. The Eloo is an evaporative system that uses no water, electricity, or chemicals and does not discharge any sewage, chemicals, or odors into the environment. Wow, maybe my parents have been listening to my west-coast green preaching. :)

Dad on the boardwalk he help build, making the park into a handicap-accessible area


the boardwalk trail culminates at a 200-300 year old oak tree

The house itself tells a story of a forgotten past. When it was donated to the Park District, it seemed to be stuck in time. It had not been inhabited for many decades, and harbored some interesting relics. The Park District did a great job at securing donations to help restore not only the home, but the antiques inside.

the old Garber Farm house

an antique wheel chair found in the home

the Edison phonograph caught my eye as it is quite similar to the one that resides in our home
(I inherited an original Edison phonograph from my great-grandmother)

The rest of weekend plans included going to therapy, hanging out at the house, and taking Dad to the music store. One of the most amazing things about Dad's brain injury is that, even though he forgot how to read, write, and do most basic skills, he somehow retained his ability to play the drums. From my rough calculations, I figure he has been playing the drums for almost 50 years. It was great to hear that he did not lose this skill because it is something that he truly enjoys. He often joked when we were growing up that most doctors play golf, while his "golf" is drumming. I think that it is very important that he keeps drumming during his recovery; not only will it help rebuild motor skills and coordination, but I think it is important for his self esteem and morale. He often gets frustrated when he cannot perform daily tasks that used to be commonplace. So maybe drumming can give him an escape where he can immerse himself in a skill in which he is still proficient. Since his current drumset currently resides at the church and he is still not able to drive, we (all of us kids) decided to buy him another drumset to use at home. For Mom's sanity, we got him a practice pad set so that it would not be too loud in the house. From the sound of things, it has already gotten good use.

here's one from the archives: This is my Dad's band, The Blue Royals, from when he was in High School. They performed mostly Beatles and Eagles covers. Although I was not present during that era, I did get a chance to hear them perform live when they got back together to play for their 25th year class reunion.

As we are in the Thanksgiving season, I want to give an extra special thanks to the doctors and nurses who saved my Dad's life. They did a superb job with the surgery. I realize they are probably rewarded with high compensation, but sometimes I think that they do not get the true credit they deserve. To save, repair, and extend a human life has got to be one of the most valuable skills a person could ever obtain. I want to thank my Mom for noticing the early warning signs and taking action (even if it was against Dad's initial will to go the hospital). Mom also deserves an ongoing thanks from all of us for helping him through the long recovery phase. I can't think of a Thanksgiving when I have had so much to be thankful for.