Stroke, Shmoke

As of tomorrow, exactly one year will have passed since my dad suffered a stroke. He is a special case and incredibly lucky due to the fact that he experienced no paralysis or physical impairment (other than his peripheral vision being slightly altered) at all. Additionally, the left side of his brain was where the "attack" took place, really did a number on his emotional characteristics. He has always been very quiet and mellow by nature, but also hilarious. In the aftermath, however, he talked ALOT.. and wore more of his emotions on his sleeve than previously. The doctors were completely baffled by his ability to stand up and articulate his speech normally only several days afterwards. In fact, their reports expressed a sheer inability to explain why he was okay after such a massive stroke. Seeing him in a hospital bed for the first time ever really tugged at my heartstrings. Daddy is such a central figure in our family. He is rational and dependable and an incredibly hard worker. He's the best dad I could have ever even dreamed up and most importantly... he's still doing great a year later!!