My Dad, My Other Hero

In case you missed it, check out part 1 of this article, "My Mom, My Hero".

Today my dad had a dental appointment to have his teeth cleaned for the first time in about 2 years. This is due to the fact that he has become more home bound with his advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia. As a former dentist, Dad would normally say you better get your teeth cleaned every 6 months.

This is a typical day now that Dad will be 87 in December. On good days he can get out of the house and on the bad days not so much.

Admiring my parents

I admire both my parents for how gracefully they have handled their marriage of 62 years and all they have gone through together. In this article I’m focusing on my dad, my other hero.

Dad worked as a dentist and mom worked as registered nurse until they had my brother and 4 years later adopted me. Afterwards, Mom worked alongside my dad for a number of years in his dental office at the front desk.

Our family lived comfortably but my brother and I were always taught you learn through hard work like my father displayed in owning his own business.

Health challenges

When Dad retired around age 70, he soon noticed a twitching finger in his right hand. After a few years of going to a few different doctors, he finally was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

We’re not sure what type of PD he has. This was never researched. We have theories that his PD comes from working with different chemicals in dental labs and then later working with weed killer in his many years of growing a big garden in his back yard.

Besides PD, dad went through prostate cancer about 20 years ago. In more recent years, he had surgery for a super pubic catheter following the scarring of his urinary tract system.

Currently, my father has had relatively good balance and has walked with aid of a walker on slow mornings. Home healthcare has helped give Dad more strength through physical therapy. Most of his symptoms are more related to his cognitive decline.

Still finding joy

Despite the drawbacks of all the health concerns both my parents have been through, they still find joy in the smaller moments - having their children and grandchildren come over for visits, or sometimes Dad and I split a beer. It’s hard to see my dad not being the same old dad or the gentle dentist that he was known for in our community for so many years.

I still can enjoy a good laugh with Dad since he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. Special moments for me now are walking Dad to adult day service 1 day week while holding his hand.  And baking him his favorite pies he used to bake himself.

Most importantly, I can appreciate the work ethic he instilled in me and my brother for all the years he worked so hard at his craft and business and what a good dad he was raising us.  Now I pass on the same legacy to my own children. This is why my dad is my hero along with my mom.