Dad's Home... for 18hrs...

It was so great to get a call from Dad today - especially when the caller ID read, "Bloomfield, Brian" instead of "Ottawa Hospital". Dad is home!

Now, that doesn't mean his condition has changed much. When I stopped in to visit him, he was in his bed covered in 3 different blankets complaining about how cold it was. I took one of the blankets off and threw it into the dryer, even with my dad protesting. He thanked me 7min later when he had a fresh, hot blanket covering him insulated by 2 blankets.

~

I can't imagine how much a situation like this could change someone. My dad is a completely different person. As soon as he complained about how cold it was, before I heated up a blanket, I pulled his feet out of the blankets and started rubbing them with my hands to keep them warm. He enthusiastically thanked me as tears welled up in his eyes! He was so thankful that someone was willing to help keep him warm by rubbing his feet. I can't imagine being that broken... being that humbled. Know what I mean? Its almost like part of his character has had the reset button pushed. Makes me wonder if we should all be so broken.

~

The visit home is going to be short lived. My parents leave tomorrow morning at 8am for a Best Western in Scarborough. He has an appointment at Toronto General on Tuesday. The reason why my parents have to leave so early is because my dad is still very sick. If an emergency situation takes place in the next 48 hrs when he's still in Ottawa, he will just end up back in the Ottawa Hospital - which is the last place my dad needs to be. He needs to be in the Toronto Hospital where the doctors are able to conduct the transplant.

So the plan is for my parents to enjoy some time together in Scarborough until the appointment on Tuesday. If anything goes wrong between when they arrive and Tuesday, my dad will be in the Toronto General ER and in the system! Otherwise, his appointment on Tuesday may result in him becoming an inpatient in TO. If that doesn't work, my parents are staying in Toronto until he's either sick enough to go to ER or the transplant is booked. Realistically, the Ottawa doctors give my dad 2-5 days max on his own before he needs emergency medical attention again. He's very vulnerable.