Grateful for Dad, and we rise up

My dad has the heart of a warrior.

I have been reminded of that throughout my life with him; we’re talking decades. He has had more than one doctor say he’s a medical miracle. When each medical crisis knocked him back, he would fight and rise up.

In these last several weeks, without saying a word, he reminded me again of his incredible spirit and his warrior heart.

My dad is a cancer survivor. Kidney cancer. He went into the hospital with a small percentage of one kidney that worked. I sat with his wife, Della, when the specialist said it was kidney cancer.

Cue the roar of the ocean in my head.

Mind-numbing fear ... panic ... terror settling in.

I’ve had moments in my life where my own immortality sort of waves at me. I have been keenly aware of my own age in different moments. I had a student hug me once, and tell me that I smelled like his grandmother because of my perfume.

I told that story to my dad. His response to me: “What? Old and wrinkly?” My response to him was equally quick: “Do the math, old man.”

We’ve had moments in the past couple of decades where we weren’t sure of the medical outcome for Dad. It has been touch and go at times. I wasn’t prepared, at all, for this latest go-round.

I cannot imagine my life without my dad in the thick of things. Frankly, I don’t know how to do life without him. In all of the good, bad and ugly, he has been a constant, a lighthouse, for me (and for my brothers and sister). He is one of the best people I know. He is perfectly imperfect; yet, he is perfect for us.

During a particularly dark time, I told Dad what had been going on and that I didn’t know how to fight back against the ugly words and actions. He looked at me, shrugged, and said, “I know you. This is their ugliness, not yours.”

His words didn’t make the ugliness stop; but, they reminded me of where I come from and that his strength has been passed down to each of us. It is a gift to have someone that knows our heart, who we are inside and out, at times in spite of ourselves. So our journey continues.

We are grateful that he’s still here with us, and we rise up.

Patti Dobson writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at: [email protected]