Ethan's 8th Birthday was better than his 7th!

On my son's 8th birthday, it was a very happy day. We had a lot of fun, and we were blessed to have such a great kid. I will never forget his 8th birthday. January 27, 2013.

Compare January 27, 2012. That was the day that I got out of the hospital. I was dazed and confused. But, I wanted to celebrate my son's birthday. We went to Red Robin by the Boise mall. It was a Friday night. It was busy. It was crowded. The sounds, the lights, the activity! Too much!

To say that I was nervous was understatement. I was scared.

Then, I had to go to the restroom.

The journey was long and tough! I did not know what to do.

Then, my 7 year old son, grasped my hand and guided me through the restaurant. He held the door, and waited. When I was finished, he held my hand, and made sure that I was safe.

7 years old. He had to grow up too fast because of me.

One year later, he is 8. He is funny, talented, smart, irreverent, energetic, and curious.

On Ethan's 8th birthday, I ran some errands. I drove alone. I went to Home Depot. I shopped at Fred Meyer. It was a beautiful day, and I treated my self with a chocolate milk shake.

I felt so normal. And grateful that I feel so normal.

Later, we went to Red Robin. We laughed. I went to the rest room -- alone!

When we were getting ready for bed, I told Ethan that I loved him so much. He said, "I love you too Daddy." Then he fell asleep.

What a difference a year can make.

I am so blessed.

Comments

Same as it ever was

When I had my two strokes more than 13 years ago, I was 50 years old. In the ensuing years I’ve had some health issues related to my strokes and other assorted “age related” things. In May of 2023, I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. As a result I have endured two years of pain and the resulting lack of exercise. That summer I tried to walk regularly but my heel pain was too extreme. I tried to do exercises to relieve the pain but nothing helped. In September of 2023 I asked my doctor to give me a shot of Cortizone. We were headed to Boston for meetings and then headed to Maine. I just wanted to enjoy the trip without pain. It helped a lot. Six months later I had the same pain. I went to an orthopedic doctor who prescribed minor physical therapy. It worked for a bit and then the pain got worse. In September of 2024, my regular doctor gave me another round of Cortizone shots so I could travel to Phoenix. It really helped. For a while. In February of 2025, the pain got worse. I went ...

Phantom Blindness and Taking a Break after Strokes

I met with my eye doctor last week about taking some time off from my vision therapy. I have been doing therapy since my stroke almost two and a half years ago. I am tired, and a need a break. My doctor said, “This is completely understandable. Take some time off.” At the appointment, my doctor tested my vision. Because of the strokes, my vision was affected, and I have a problem in my field of vision on the right side. I have a deficit with my right side peripheral vision. However, it is getting better. During the test, I told him that I “sense things on the right side of my peripheral vision.” It seems that I know that something is there, but I cannot really distinguish what it is. He told me that there is a body of thought describing phantom vision or phantom blindness. A Polish researcher, L. Bieganowski, described this phantom blindness this way: “The subject of the paper is the phenomenon of phantom vision. It occurs among the blind (or almost blind...

January

January 10th was the 13th anniversary of my first stroke. After 18 days in the hospital (including my second massive stroke were I lost almost everything) we celebrated my son’s seventh birthday. I wanted to celebrate my son‘s birthday but I had no idea the sensory overload would cause. The flashing lights, the unbearable noise of the crowds and the music, and loud conversations caused me to panic. In the midst of my brain damaged confusion, I had to go to the bathroom. At that point I really didn’t know how to navigate the restaurant even though I had been there many times. I didn’t know the concept of letters and I didn’t know what “men” and “women” were on the doors. My little son gripped my hand and said, “Daddy… I will take you to the bathroom.” Stumbling through the crowded restaurant I was scared. My son guided me to the proper door and asked if I needed any more help. After I finished I came out and he grabbed my hand and took me back to the booth. In January this year, We cele...

Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Search This Blog