On the very first Monday of the new year I got the news that my Dad had had a stroke.
My dad is only in his 50's and to me he has always been strong and invincible.
I just never imagined something like this happening to him, and it caught me completely off guard.
Luckily, my mom was with him when it happened and she immediately took him to the emergency room.
And because of that, they caught the stroke early enough that they were able to administer TPA, which is a massive blood thinner that can only be given in a short window of time to stroke patients.
They say only about 2% of stroke victims are able to get it.
His MRI showed that he had actually had 2 strokes.
Over the next 48 hours that he would spend in the ICU, I got constant updates from my mom and my brothers who were there with him.
And then as soon as I was able to, I hopped on a plane and made a trip out there to see him and spend some time with him.
My mom and brothers insisted that he would be fine and that they had it all covered, but my sisters and I all agreed that we needed to be there to see Dad and spend some time with him.
I was worried that when I saw him that he wouldn't be the same, that he wouldn't seem like "my dad."
The area of the brain that was damaged mostly affected his speech but it can also affect personality.
But I was happy to find that he was still the same old dad.
We laughed, watched movies, and went on walks together.
I cooked him healthy meals, and he took me to see his new job site at the Oakland Temple.
He's definitely a man of few words now, which I never would have used to describe my dad in the past, but he's still my dad and he's still here.
And for that I am thankful...
"To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us resolve to spend more time with those we love. Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be. Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances."
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf
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