Get the kidney out!

By this time he had already had a minor surgery to get a sample of the tumor on his right shoulder and put a metal bar inside his right upper arm bone connected to the ball joint where the tumor was sitting on.  The goal was to give him some more mobility on his right arm.  It did give him some movement and at least it wasn't just hanging there anymore.

Now a couple of hours before he has his kidney removed we're all with him, we had written daddy a letter on how he enhanced our childhood and made us better people.  We were all scared this would be it.  So was he.  The surgery was a risky surgery.  His right kidney would have to be removed, it was completely encased in a larger tumor. 

Off he goes to surgery, and off we go to the waiting room where several of his sisters and brothers, neices and nephews are waiting also.... four hours later he's doing good, they were able to completely remove the kidney.

The funny part is that when he woke up in surgery he was convinced he was dead because he was surrounded by other patients covered in white sheets, lined up .. and it reminded him of the movie Coma.  Then...none of the family were allowed in yet, but when his cousins, Albert, Sylvia, Norma and Aunt Soccorro just walked in he figured he was still alive.  You had to be there I guess.

Car Shows

Lately we've been getting flyers for the car shows in the area.  Daddy would go to Tulare in the Spring, Clovis Big Hat Days, Clovis Fest, Christmas Parade with the  mustang club.  The last parade, Christmas in Fresno, he had a couple of the grandkids ride with him.  Bethany in the front.  But he also loved the NASCAR, him and Gabe would go to the races.  At the end it was the plan to go again but with the chemo he wasn't up to the trip.

Gabe and daddy always were into some sort of motor vehicle.  Daddy use to race go-carts in Tulare when we were little.  He would build his own motor and car with Gabriel.  Later they started with the dirt bikes, then Gabe started racing.  Momma went to watch once and saw Gabe get hurt and decided she wasn't going to go again to see him get hurt again.  But they continued,  Gabriel happen to get in it when it started to grow in Tulare, so he was one of the first dirt bike racers in the area.  Now it's a big event to watch.  Eventually they started to go to the NASCAR races and the grandkids starting watching them on TV, Samuel would watch them with grandpa and he likes all those race shows; Speed, Pinks, Extreme dirt bikes, and NASCAR.  Samuel even has some of his hot wheels on his stone.  Grandpa has kept his spirit of racing in the kids spirit, among other positive influences.

St. Patricks Day

Ten years ago momma, daddy, me, David, and Esther all drove into San Francisco for the Saint Patrick's Day parade.  Front row seats in front of Union Square.  We had a good time and got to pretend to be Irish for a day.  Plus eat corned beef and cabbage, daddy liked corned beef but especially the cabbage, anytime I made soup; abondigas, cocido, or chicken it had to have a lot of cabbage and carrots.

Day before the surgery

The day before they were going to remove his kidney we all had dinner at Christina's.  Momma, daddy, all of us kids, spouses, and the grandchildren.  Daddy wanted to talk to us and the grandkids.  A couple of hours before he had me type a "contract" for each of the grandkids which he signed and they were to sign.

My Promise to Grandpa

I will always be a good student in school.

I will Never do drugs.

I will respect my parents.

I will graduate from high school and go on to college.

I will visit grandpa’s graves sight once a year.

You are the best grandkids a grandpa could ever have.

Thank you.

Signed: ­_____________________

Each one got the contract and signed, even Issac who was 4-1/2 at the time.  Even then he was thinking of the kids and their future.  That was what he said he would miss the most, not seeing his grandchildren finish school and see all their accomplishments.  For the past three years daddy has gone to Samuel's Pinewood Derby races and Samuel has won so far every year, including this year.  We all missed him there this year and will miss all future events with the kids, all the grandkids. 

The Results

It took about a week to get the results.  They were good.  Even Dr. Ravi was surprised, he originally gave daddy six to eight months, when the dye went trhough the kidneys into the tube, showing that the cancer had not spread and daddy only needed to have the kidney removed and then start the chemo he felt it would add some more time.

By this time one of us or all of us went with momma and daddy for any doctor appointment.  I think it use to bother him.  Maybe he felt we were treating him as a child or not trusting him, but we were not taking any more chances.  We were there whether he liked it or not. 

The surgery was scheduled in October to remove the kidney, first week.  One week after the family picnic and the Filipino dinner.  We were all a little more hopeful.  Maybe daddy would beat this cancer just like he believed he could and in the back of our minds we kept thinking he would be the one to do it.

Knee Surgery

Years ago, maybe twenty years ago, daddy had to have a knee replacement.  He kept trying to put it off but finally decided to go through with it.  Daddy has not been in the hospital ever, I don't think he was even born in a hospital and when we were born they didn't let dad's in the room till after the birth.  No hospital as a patient, just a visitor.  Daddy dresses for his surgery.  Sweat pants.  The importance of sweat pants didn't mean anything at the moment but when he registered and started prep for the surgery, he proceeded to lift the sweat pant on the leg for knee surgery and told them he was ready.  Ha! Ha!  Boy was he upset when he found out he had to totally undress for a "knee" surgery. 

Later, after the surgery the doctor informed him that after the anesthesia wore off he would have some pain so they provided him with a liquid codiene that was suppose to last seven days.  NOT.  The anesthesia wore off and he couldn't drink it fast enough in a day and a half.  Luckily the doctor renewed the prescription and he made this one last till the end of week.

"kidneys"

We our having our meeting with the oncologist.  First they will need to insert some dye and take an MRI of daddy's kidney.  The doctor needs to check to see if the dyes flows through the kidney and out to the vein.  It it does, that's a good thing.  It means there is no blockage and a good chance the cancer hasn't spread to other areas.  The funny thing is that daddy is totally claustrophobic.  We didn't know this till a few years ago when he had to do a MRI for prostate.  They asked him if he would be okay, because momma usually gets sedated and she warned him it could get claustrophobic.  Daddy said no problem.  Well "John" put him on the table, set the  music and told him, "okay Ray, if you get nervous just knock on the wall and we'll pull you out."  Slowly they pull him into the tube, bam!  Daddy starts screaming and kicking.  "Get me the hell out of here John!"  Claustrophobic. 

Another MRI but this time they said his whole body wouldn't go in and it would be a circle MRI.