We are glad yesterday is over... Papa Harkins had successful surgery yesterday to clear the blockage in his carotid artery. And it's a good thing he did - once they got in there, the surgeon found that the artery was 80% blocked. Another stroke was looming...
I'm glad that he chose to have it done and chose to do it here at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. My mom has been able to stay with us and Papa will come back here to recoup until he's ready to return to the cabin.
You know you are going to get a specialist when you choose Mayo Clinic, and we had great confidence in his surgeon. That gave us piece of mind, but anytime you have a neurosurgeon, it's not nothing... So, my brother Eric and I kept mom company all morning yesterday as we watched Papa's status update on the patient information board: pre-op, in the OR, procedure started, etc... When grandma got the call that he was in recovery and things went well, she was finally able to relax.
Erin wanted me to come get her and bring her to the hospital once Papa was through surgery. At the tender age of 14, she knows that's what you do: when people are in need, you show up. She's had so many good examples of how people have supported us when we needed it. It's something I didn't really learn until Shannon was sick, so Erin's way ahead of the curve.
Today, Erin is off to a volleyball scrimmage in the cities. Dan will return home from Michigan and hopefully Papa gets discharged and can come here to recover.
Tomorrow, we are off to Lake Hubert. It's another O'Hara wedding this weekend as Erin's cousin Kallie gets married. Weather looks great and we're excited to celebrate with them.
Life is a jumbled mess of stages... aging parents, young love, teenage angst, accepting middle age... this life ain't for sissies, I can tell you that!
It's true though, if you can stay in the moment and live each day, you can appreciate the journey.
"Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well." - Jack London
