Did you see that sunset?

It couldn't have been a nicer day. The weather was beautiful and the sunset was killer. I went and spent a few hours with Dad this afternoon. I brought him some Costco pizza and he was in heaven. He only wants to eat junk food, and he has gotten to the point where he won't eat anything from his trays but dessert, and he is practically living on apple fritters...But at least he is eating something. His jaw is still really bothering him.

And, to top it all off, we hate his new room. It is room 20, and he is right next to the kitchen and the dining hall. Lots of pots and pans and plates and trays banging for like 3 hours 3 times a day, and when that is not happening, there is a bingo game or a piano player in the dining hall. The noise is just driving him crazy. The room is smaller, and looks really small because it doesn't have that vaulted ceiling like the other one. And the thing I really don't like, is he is facing the other way...It was nice in the other room when most people came to visit, they sat on his left side because of how the room was. It has helped his left neglect tremendously, to the point where it really isn't that much of a factor anymore.

My Mom went down today to let the staff know that when his old room is completed, we want to move back in there with his two room mates. They are quiet (Jeffrey sleeps a lot, and Edward spends most of his day tooling around the property), and pleasant.

We don't talk much to Edward, but he seems nice enough, and we have gotten to exchanging hellos with Jeffrey, until today. He actually stopped by and started chatting with us about how much he hates the room location too. He then told us why he is in there. He has been diabetic for the past 20 years, and has been on dialysis for the past 4 years due to the diabetes. My Mom asked if he was on a donor list for a kidney, and he said that he was, but he switched hospitals, and they have to start the effort to get his name on the waiting list all over again, and that can take up to a year. All of this, and he is only 34 years old. My goodness, what a tough life.

Our good friend Dennis stopped by today for a visit. We had a nice chat and it really tired my Dad out. He was particularly tired today. I really think that when he is not gotten out of bed in the morning, that he gets really tired, and sort of depressed...He doesn't have much reason to make an effort.

I was having a little pity party today with myself. My Dad is doing so well with the treatments, and he continues to get a little better everyday. If my Dad had full use of his limbs, he would be up and walking and being active, and getting stronger all the time. But, because he is limited, and used every bit of himself to overcome his disability all his life, he just doesn't have anything left in him to tackle more than surviving this challenge, let alone get to a point where he can be more independent. It is hard to admit that my "SuperDad" is merely human, and is only capable of so much, and it makes me feel so helpless that I can't figure out how to make it better for him. Lots of people ask me when will he go home...I don't have an answer to that, and I don't really know what to say when he asks me either. Because of his limitations, he requires 2 aides or 1 aid and a lift to move him from bed to wheelchair and back. And the showers at the house are no longer accessible for him. And on top of that, we would have to provide all transportation to and from Dr.'s appointments, which we don't have a wheelchair accessible vehicle (and boy are they expensive! I have done some research)...But most importantly, it would be Mom, a home health nurse, me and the TV...That is it. At least now, he sees different nurses and aides all the time, and hears other conversations, and sees different people every day. I am afraid he would get awfully bored at home.

I guess we will have to see what happens after the radiation is over, and how well his treatments worked. Maybe then we will have a better idea of what opportunities he will have in the future.

Ok, so I will let the pity party end for now...:) Dad was in pretty good spirits today. He asks lots of questions about the room..."What is that red thing?" "Who's plant is that on the sink?" "Who's picture is that on the mirror?" All the little things that are different in the room. For a man who was claiming that he couldn't see very well, he does pretty good.

I hope everyone's weekend is wonderful! The weather is perfect!

Much love.