16 years

It was 16 years ago today, on Tuesday July 23, 1996 that my dad first became ill.  I remember my mother and sister were in Atlanta at the Olympics and I was working at a summer day camp.  I was surprised to find him at home when I got home from work late that afternoon.  He explained that he'd been having trouble breathing and his boss's wife had insisted that he see a doctor.  The initial diagnosis was pneumonia and we expected him to be off work for a few days.  We had no idea the road about to be traveled.  Dad ended up missing seven weeks of work, and it took over a month to get an accurate diagnosis of Bronchiolitis Obliterans Organizing Pneumonia (BOOP).  This disease has a few different manifestations, and unfortunately my father has had one of the worst.  He went on oxygen as needed about ten years ago, and it wasn't long before he was on oxygen 24/7.  In fact, he is now usually hooked up to a machine AND a tank, or to two tanks if he needs to be mobile.  He amazes me though.  I've heard people talk about sick relatives who never complain and what an inspiration that is.  I completely understand that.  I remember feeling guilty taking off work for a bad cold or for a bad allergy/sinus day because my father faced so much more than that EVERY DAY and still goes to work...rarely taking a sick day even when he probably should.  I can't even begin to imagine facing the things he's face and feeling the way he's felt for the last 16 years, and doing it so unbelievably gracefully.  And he'd probably even tell you that he's grateful for the last 16 years...in that time he's been able to see my sister graduate from Notre Dame's Law School, he's been able to see me get married, and he's been able to become a grandfather.  I too, am grateful for the last 16 years.  I know that it isn't the way my dad had pictured these years being, but he has, without a doubt, made the most of it.

**As an aside, I am only four years away from being the age my father was when he was diagnosed.  It really helps to put it into a different perspective for me, and honestly, helps me to be even more amazed by the way my dad has handled things.