Happy Tuesday everybody! I have a couple of quick things to go over, including an update on my grandma and some cool things about Jack’s progress.
Real quick, just in case you’ve never been before, click here to see why I’m running 61 marathons this year for Train 4 Autism!
Grandma Bea Update
If you’ve been following along, you know my Grandma Bea had a major heart problem last week. Like, it stopped and she needed CPR from a stranger while she was lying on the ground in her own blood outside a Target. And if that stranger wasn’t there, my grandpa is a widower right now. But all’s well that ends well, and she got a pacemaker put in yesterday.
Today, she should be going home. Yesterday, I left work a little after noon to make sure I could be there to keep my grandpa company. That was a good call. We chatted, I got a little bit of work done on my laptop. His niece was also there and they were chatting. Everything seemed fine while we waited. The procedure went fine and the cardiologist came in and let us know she was fine. It was weird — I swear the doctor was younger than me. It was a trip — for the first time ever, I got the feeling my generation is taking care of the world!
Side note on hanging out with my grandpa: He’s the nicest man you’ve ever met, and a lot of you have met him. Last week, he asked me where I was running and I told him Santa Rosa. He told me about he got drunk up there and chased a truck and darn near killed himself back when he was young.
Yesterday, he asked me where I’m running this weekend. Pocatello, Idaho.
“I got drunk one time in Boise,” he told me. 87 years old and he gets cooler by the day!
Anyways, we went back up to the room and my dad and one of his childhood friends who is in town visiting (and has known my grandparents for more than 50 years). I think that at about that point, my grandpa said that he was glad I showed up, because he would have been a complete mess without me there. That made me pretty glad I made the choice to go there.
I left and everything seemed pretty under control, putting a good cap on a week that could have been really bad.
One More Thing About Her And Operation Jack
Last week, I asked you guys to contribute $5 (or more) to Operation Jack in her honor, and we raised $235. I told her yesterday about 30 minutes before she went in for her procedure and she was absolutely floored. She was really happy about that and I could tell she was touched.
So to those of you who donated, thank you so much! Not only for donating to a great cause, but for stepping up when I asked you to support me and my family. It really was wonderful to tell this to my grandma.
Quick Jack Update
So, have a couple of quick tidbits about Jack that make me smile just thinking about them while I write them.
First, when he wakes up in the morning, he typically wakes up and turns on the lights, turns on a noisy toy, turns on the TV … basically, he gets going with all of his sensory stimulation as his way of starting the day. But a few times in the past week or so, most recently yesterday, when he woke up he came straight to our bed and crawled in. He just wanted to lay down next to us and chill. As a parent, when you can remember when your child didn’t think you were anything more than moving trees in his intoxicating world, it sure is wonderful to get that show of affection.
As a parent, one of the greatest gifts is the unconditional love you get from your children. Jack’s always been behind, and it’s very tough to read him. So when we get something like this from him, it’s pretty cool. Just like any little kid, Jack wants to be near his mom and dad! That might be the first time I’ve ever used “just like any little kid” and “Jack” in the same sentence and I love it!
Also, our dinner table is rectangular and seats six. He sits at one end and I sit at the other. He’s had that same seat for years. For whatever reason, he wanted to sit in my seat last night. So we let him. I was sitting in the chair next to him hanging out with the kids and at one point, he stood up out of the chair, put the side of his face up near mine and just stood there. After a few seconds, when I could tell that he was just waiting, I gave him a kiss on his cheek and he promptly sat back down. I loved knowing that he wanted that from me and got out of his chair specifically for that purpose!
He’s been on his DAN protocol for a little bit and it seems like he’s really starting to get a little better!
Race 4 Free
I need to plug this more often. We’ll pay for a race entry for you any race you’re running. It’s not too tough to earn it, and you’re helping a great cause! Click here for details!
OK, that’s all for today. Have a great Tuesday everybody!
Brandon Wood says
That’s really awesome that Jack’s been making such great progress lately – REALLY happy and excited for all of you!
Ben Delaney says
Wow Fels, that was pretty cool about Jack and you. Along with a few others, I have seen the ups and downs with Jack over the years. To hear that after all of the talks at INO with Kevin that Jack is making progress fills me with overwhelming joy for you and Tiff. Life may never be normal, or what ever normal is, for Jack. But after hearing that he wanted a kiss from his dad, that is about as normal as life can get. Congrats man.
Adair Renning says
Really, really good news about Jack! Those milestones are priceless. Here’s hoping its just the start of many, many more to come, as the DAN protocol continues to fine tune his system!!