Long Night

I just got back from the hospital. My father suffered a heart attack late Monday evening. He was helicoptered in from the local hospital to the same hospital where I had Maggie just a few weeks ago. He's stable, but critical. They will be keeping him unconscious until he's been stable for 24-48 hours. In the meantime, he's hooked up to a breathing machine and has multiple fluids being pumped into him through IVs. I've never seen my father look so vulnerable before.

They expect that he will recover, and most likely without any serious damage to his brain or heart (they had to resuscitate him, but it was soon after his heart stopped beating). But it's a long road ahead for him. No more fast food. No more smoking. And having to take better care of himself in general. I fear that he won't be able to stick to these radical changes, and we'll be right back at that hospital 5 years from now going through this all over again.

What a way to celebrate your birthday. He will be 51 years old on Thursday...