Rock, Heart & Soul - A little about my dad

My dad - a heart of gold, tough as a rock, and the soul of a brilliant family man, adored by all. I knew this as a child, a teenager, and now as an adult. They are qualities that I admire more than I ever thought possible.

A plumber since his teens, he is one of the most respected tradesmen in the city of Toronto. Although he has just recently retired, this was not something he welcomed easily (nor has the guys replacing him as they still call with questions).

Since turning 55, he was going for "older body" testing lets call it. Regular protocol since he was getting "up there". He had been a diabetic for 30 years and was managing that aspect of his health better than ever before. In great health, we never thought it would or could turn 180' so quickly.

Fall 2017 - hot & sweaty work boots - dad gets a blister on his foot. It doesn't go away. That tiny toe blister turns into a full body infection that would take months to heal. IV's, hospital visits, weekly nurse visits....what is happening? January 2018, he is finally cleared from this infection without the loss of any toes! PHEW - in the clear. Or so we thought.

Dad was seeing a cardiologist as he had some valve issues from childhood. Nothing that was ever a potential immediate scare. Until it was. A routine appointment turned into a work up for open heart surgery. WHAT? Wait? What? I believe those were the only things that came out of my mouth for the first day. This had never been a real concern before. Why now? He was just starting to feel better. I don't understand!

"You got this dad" we repeated to him (and to ourselves) many times over the next few months while we waited for a surgery date. July 2018 at St. Mikes. A sign of relief - one of the best hospitals! A few pre-op appointments, surgery, dad will be good as gold!

May 2018, my brother Todd and my dad are having coffee at work a few days after having an angiogram 2 days before. Dads not looking so good, he thinks he has the flu or something. Todd knows better and took him straight to Markham Stouffville. He has sepsis. WHAT THE HELL? As I rush to the hospital, a million things are going through my mind. Once there, I am stunned! The man I saw a few days prior was gasping for air.

My dad spent 3 weeks at MSH. The best care he had received in a while. He was cleared for surgery, it was still on for July.

July 9 2018, surgery day. Dad was so funny, the nurses loved it! Surgery goes well! Recovery is going well (a few hiccups but overall dads doing great). Music to all his friends and families ears! A few more months of R & R and he will be back to his old self.

October 2018 - Routine check up - "Don - your kidneys have failed, you are in renal stage 4 kidney failure".