"Tawny, COME LOOK, HURRY!!!"

Today has been a pretty amazing day!

Let me start with a few other updates that lead up to today first. The other day one of my father's nurses came to visit. While she was here, she volunteered to cut his hair and shave his beard for him. Due to the chemo, his hair is beginning to shed a bit so he wanted to get it cut to cut down on the shedding.

Mariama giving my father a hair cut & my mom collecting his hair. 

Mariama couldn't cut his hair as short as she wanted because we didn't know how to use the guards on my husbands clippers and he wasn't at home to assist us. 

A few days later, Melissa (a friend of ours & an EMT) volunteered to come over and help my mom with giving my father a shot in his stomach. I should also mention, it was Melissa's birthday, but that didn't stop her from coming over to assist. I've been giving him his neuprogen shots (in his leg) for his chemo, but a shot in the stomach was something that I knew I wouldn't be comfortable doing. I am not sure why, but the thought of poking/stabbing my father in the stomach with a needle just made me feel terrible. 

My mom tried nervously to administer the shot unsuccessfully. Melissa, feeling sorry for her volunteered to give the shot instead! Needless to say, my dad made a "that was easy" face and smirked at my mom.

Melissa helping my mom with the needle.

Today, no one came to my moms rescue and no matter how much she pleaded with me, the stomach shot was not something I was going to give in and administer. She wiped my dads stomach with the alcohol pad about 5 times until he said "Pearl, you've wiped me 5 times already!" He then said "just pluck the needle, push out the bubbles, push it into my stomach and push the medicine in!". She tried once and pulled back exclaiming "I can't Tawny, you have to do it!" I said "Mommy, you can't because you keep saying you can't!" she went in again nervously and tried to push it into his skin, her hand was shaking and my father and I began to laugh uncontrollably. "Give me the needle Pearl" he says. "Ok, no, I'm going to do it" she says and pushes it in! SUCCESS! 

After she was done, he laughs and says "I was going to holler really loud and scare her, but she would have been so mad!"

HILARIOUS! I sure wish he would have, that would have made my day.

My dad wanted his hair cut all off so my husband cut it for him this morning. 

Kardan cutting my dads hair

A few hours after my father's haircut, I receive a phone call from his physical therapist telling me she was on her way. I was super excited as we were having issues with Kaiser even approving a physical therapist... Imagine that... You give my father a hip replacement, spinal surgery and a pin in his other hip but give up on anyone coming over to show him how to function after the surgeries... But that's a whole different story. Thank GOD for GOD!

So his physical therapist comes over. I assumed they would be doing the regular routine they did previously. All of the sudden I hear "Tawny, COME LOOK, HURRY!!!" I walk into my fathers room.... and he is SITTING UP..... Please keep in mind that he has been laying down in the bed for @ least 2 months at this point. Immediately I am teary eyed.

daddy waving at me while sitting up.

My mom calls everyone down to see.

Kailynn-James & Little Kardan in their oversized t-shirts and Big Kardan & my nephew De'Andre smile in amazement.

But wait, it gets sooooo much better.....

daddy & his therapist

mommy, therapist & daddy STANDING  U P!!!

these are not tears of pain or sadness, these are tears of joy that regardless of feeling like dr's have given up on him, GOD has not and he is able to STAND...

daddy as a tear rolls down the side of his face.

I must say.... today was a great day.