At Mercy

We took the kids to a pizzeria, came home and went to bed. At 9:00
am we were enjoying "Breakfast with the Easter Bunny." At 11:00 am my
15 year old had stage crew at the high school. After dropping him off I
planned to shop for "Palm Sunday." We always visited mom and dad, ate
goodies and weaved palm.

At 9:10 am we received the phone call that my father had a heart attack
and was in the emergency room at "Mercy Catholic." We left our kids
with friends and my cell phone with my eldest and drove to Darby, PA. I
found dad sweating in the emergency room. Mom and my sister had gone to
the cafeteria. I was glad to see his eyes open. I put a cold compress
on his forehead and straightened his forearm so that the IV could flow
freely. He was clearly agitated. The medicines they had administered
were taking affect and his blood pressure was fluctuating. He was
conversing with me and relaying information to my dead uncles. "Yes
dad, my fruit stand is doing fine." I patted his hand and conversed
with the nurse who was monitoring him. He now has diabetes too.

Dad had not left the house in the past 2 years. He fears a high tension
wire that is sparking in front of his house. Nothing that anyone has
said has convinced him that he would not get electricuted if he went
outside. Mom has done fairly well getting some doctors and services to
come to the house.

My dad cannot be forced. He has dimentia, a heart that is only
operating at 20% capacity, and he has always been physically strong. He
would make us laugh by holding on to a sign pole in front of the house
and literally extend his body out horizontally from it. I wish I had a
picture. He's also strong willed. If you fight with him he could get
hurt. The EMS team had a difficult time getting him to the hospital
with the heart attack.

My husband and I left at 3:00 pm to pick up our kids. At 7:30 pm we
returned to the hospital to take mom home. She'd been awake all night
and wanted to take a cab home. I'd rather drive from Jersey to bring
her home; she wouldn't come to our house. We took her home and will
bring her back to the hospital tomorrow. I hope dad will be alright. I
don't want to admit that it's not likely.