My dad has been fighting multiple myeloma (blood cancer) for two years now and was just diagnosed with Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP which is much easier to pronounce, a bleeding disorder in which his immune system destroys platelets that are necessary for normal blood clotting. The doctors are confident that they can control this with medication and my dad assured me that he's fine and in good spirits; Alas, I still felt compelled to go home and be with him. With the help of Trent's sister getting me a plane ticket home (Thanks Tracy!) and my cousin picking me up from the airport, white-knuckleing the steering wheel in a snow storm and putting me up/putting up with me for the weekend (Thanks Cheryl!), I surprised my dad on April Fools Day! Our first stop was of course the Park Lunch where we enjoyed some chowdaahh and exchanged jokes and laughs.
My dad took me by the Commonwealth Newburyport Cancer Center where it was a pleasure to finally meet all the wonderful nurses who have been putting up with my father's bullshit and sexual harassment for the past two years.
After an evening of take-out Chinese and the Red Sox game at Dad's house, my brother PJ and I hit the Winner's Circle for some beers.
And we shared some laughs with Cheryl and Eliza until we got kicked out of the Winner's Circle for being losers.
Of course it wouldn't be a proper visit with my dad without a couple rounds of Scrabble coupled with Christy's Beach Pizza, Moxie and verbal abuse.
I rounded up the girls on my last evening home and hit downtown Newburyport for drinks, giggles, catching up and more drinks! It was a good visit home and I'm thankful for the time spent with my dad, my brother and my friends.
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