and then this happened...

Got a call this evening from my SIL.  She had been at a track meet with Dad and Joan.  While Joan was away from them, Dad told my SIL that he had gotten a second opinion and that the doctor had given him 1-3 years to live.

When we saw him at Easter, he told me that he was back on the transplant list.  He was not very positive about it as he knew of someone who never got an organ and passed away.  Apparently, as a part of the second opinion, he was taken off the transplant list.

I don't think he has told Joan yet of the seriousness of this.  At Easter, she was talking about getting the house tested for radon and taking steps to control it if at unsafe levels in the hopes that would give Dad some relief.

I am sad and scared and know that Dad is feeling the same plus a million other things, same here.  I have been expecting this - I caught myself last week thinking about what to say at a service for him.  So... yeah.


On an not wholly unrelated note, one of my high school teachers passed away a little over a week ago.  Sue was my speech coach and taught the English classes I took from 7th - 10th and the Speech class I took in 11th grade.  She was a fun teacher who had definitely found her calling.  She took classes to see Shakespeare being performed (in Yankton, of all places), had our class do the equivalent of a table read of "Romeo and Juliet", had an awesome section on the Greek gods and mythology, and made sure that some members of the speech team could go to the state meet to observe and get an idea of what that level of competition was and what it would take to get there.  I have many fond memories of her classes and of practicing my speeches with her watching and giving feedback.  She was a gift to the students she taught.