It has taken a couple of days of settling in to gather my thoughts. It occurs to me how amazing it is that we have the capacity to accept enormous changes in such a small amount of time. After only two days, the fact that my father spends most of his time in bed and needs help with the simplest tasks already seems normal.
Dad has lost a lot of weight but fortunately had some to spare. Even so, he only resembles the solid man I saw even four months ago. Thanks to the cancer in his liver, his stomach has been backed up with fluid, making it nearly impossible to eat. This week he started a chemo medication in pill form which we hope will target his liver and decrease the amount of liquid, so he can eat and gain a little strength back. We are under no illusions, however, and understand that the medicine can only help prolong the inevitable, but if it helps him to gain some strength and enjoy the time he has left, whether it be a couple of years or less, it will have been certainly worth it.
For the most part, everyone is in good spirits. There is still plenty of laughter, and I think as long as we're able to crack a joke now and then, I think we're all going to be able to get through this.
I'm still getting over jet lag in addition to playing Nurse Ratched, so I'll have more in the next couple of days or so.
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