Hey guys!
So I’ve updated a few of you on the situation with my dad but I really wanted to ask for everyone’s prayers right now. Sorry for the long post in advance. Short version if you are busy: My dad may have had a heart attack or stroke last night and need your prayers.
Last night I was having dinner with my parents and when my dad went to get up he sat down real quick and told my mom that he was feeling really dizzy again. He tried to stand up again and the same result. My dad is usually the fun joking type and laughs at anything so my mom made a joke asking if it was her cooking or something. My dad got real serious and said that something was wrong. At that point my mom wanted to call the doctor but my dad’s a little stubborn and said he didn’t want to go to the hospital but just wanted to go upstairs and change his clothes and needed my mom’s help walking. We were trying to figure out what could cause the dizziness and weren’t too sure since he had eaten dinner since and still was really dizzy. My mom helped him upstairs and a few mins later after taking his blood pressure and it was really high she came downstairs saying that I needed to check hospital wait times (in DC we have tons of hospital options). My dad likes to always seem positive and never wants anyone to worry about him so I knew that he must really not be feeling well. He told me I should wait at home so that I can call my brother and sister to let them know what’s up and he thought that if I stayed home that I would worry less…wrong. After finally getting a hold of my brother we decide that we want to be with our dad in case something is seriously wrong. I’m too much of a mess at this point to drive so my bros girlfriend picks me up.
He was admitted right away and by the time I got there he had gotten worse, thrown up, was really pale and his chest was hurting. Man is it hard to see your dad sitting in a hospital bed with tubes and oxygen and all that attached. The doctors said that it could be something not so serious as vertigo or it could be that he had stroke or heart attack. He underwent many tests we still don’t have very many answers but they wanted to transport him to another hospital so that he could be admitted. Basically everyone in my dad’s family has had heart attacks so this was their main concern. He was finally transferred around 3 am and at that point he was able to smile and told my mom and me to go home and get some sleep.
He underwent a few more tests since arriving at the other hospital this morning that were still waiting on the results. A physical therapist came in around 8am and didn’t see any signs of paralysis that a stroke may have caused. Apparently tests won’t show signs of a stroke until 24-36 hours after the stroke so we might be waiting on that for a while. He’s pretty optimistic that he’ll be out today in time to serve communion at their church tonight but doctors last night acted like he might need to stay for a while.
My dad’s always had health issues and we’ve always been concerned b/c of his family history. Before deciding if I was fully committed to the WR I was nervous about being so far away from my dad. I’m a daddys girl and he tends to always worry and since he’s still not fully on board with my decision to go I’m extra nervous now that this is going to raise his blood pressure more and cause more problems while were gone. So please just pray for my dad’s health today and also while I’m gone. He’s my best friend and I would do anything for him so I almost feel selfish going on the race when he really doesn’t want me to go, which could lead to more health problems. Sorry for the rambling, I’m at work trying to get my mind off of this for a little bit and I’m a mess. Please pray that he feels Gods presence always. I’ll comment with any updates when we get them.
I love you guys and can’t wait to see you all soon.
Alicia
