Today, my mom drove to Conneaut to spend some time at her office. I worked from my parents’ house in Twinsburg to keep an eye on my dad. Exactly four weeks ago today, we did the same thing. But wow, what a difference one month makes.

Four weeks ago, my dad wasn’t able to communicate clearly. He had lost nearly all fine motor skills. He wasn’t eating and couldn’t stay awake longer than a few minutes. Today, he fixed his own breakfast, emptied the dishwasher, ate a good lunch, got the mail and played on his tablet. Most importantly, he was dad.

The last two weeks of May were pure hell. The first two weeks of June have been a blessing. Since my last post on May 31, dad has continued to show progress. He was discharged from the rehab center on Thursday, June 2. Since, he has had good days and bad. But overall, he has shown marked improvement in strength, spirit and pain management. I think being at home and finding a new normal have been the best medicine for him. And mom, too.

Together, we have enjoyed t-ball, baseball and softball games. We’ve shared several family dinners. We had a fire and watched the CAVS game. We celebrated Matthew’s 5^th birthday (which is actually tomorrow!). Simply put, we’ve just spent time together. And it feels SO good.

As for what we are doing about the cancer…

Our family opted to seek a second opinion from a top-rated oncologist at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center last week, thanks to a dear friend. I, unfortunately, was in Chicago but joined the consultation by phone while my mom, dad and sister met with the new doctor in person. Within five minutes of the conversation, I sent Kelly a text to tell her that he had my vote. By the time he left the room, my family felt the same. His expertise, patience and personality were exactly what we needed to continue this journey. We go back on Monday, June 20 to discuss next steps. In the meantime, the doctor is reviewing all of dad’s prior scans, labs, pathology reports and so on.

So, that is where we are. While there hasn’t been much progress on the treatment front, there have been so many steps forward for all of us. Our prayers were answered last month. And it’s our job to make sure we spend our time together doing what we do best – being a family and loving one another like tomorrow is never promised. We urge you to do the same.

Until next time,

Mary Beth