....the Babesia Boogies

Yogis,

It all began innocently enough. Well, at least as innocent as it could be with my dad going to his weekly Saturday morning Hash House Harriers run. A more than forty-year tradition where a group of grown men who dub themselves ‘a drinking club with a running problem’ run on trails marked with flour through the woods, marshes and streams and then head to the closest dive bar.

Although my father at 86 is no longer running, he meets the guys and meanders through the woods and joins in the revelry at the end. So, it was no wonder that after returning home and taking the much needed nap, he discovered ticks on himself. Twenty-six of them, but whose counting. My mom patiently pulling each one off….. along with some skin.

Four days later he is ill.

Back and forth to the hospital. Many tests and scratching of heads until finally an infectious disease doctor tested him for Babesiosis. Bingo. A less common tick-borne illness with parasites that attack the red blood cells, literally taking him to his knees.

Eight days in the hospital followed by two weeks in rehab.

I want to share a daily habit my dad created several years ago to give you a sense of ‘him’ before the hospital. Each morning he comes down, goes to his porch (his place) turns on his speaker and tells it what to play. Think Rolling Stones. He then proceeds to dance with abandon for one or two songs. Before this incident he had videoed himself on one of those mornings.  

I went up to NJ twice for several days as this all was transpiring. With covid the hospital still only allowed one visitor per day so I spent two afternoons quietly watching him sleep and hoping to get a few bites of food into him. On the second day the PT person showed up (he had sent her away day 1). My father pulled himself as best he could to sitting and told her he wouldn’t begin until she watched something. Pulls out his phone and loads the video. He had her watch the whole thing.

‘That’s who I am’ he told her.

Spending time in the hospital reminded me how critical it is to advocate for yourself. Best if you have someone to do it for you, but powerful when you can also speak up for yourself. He knew what all of the doctors, nurses and aides saw when they walked in. Gray haired old man lying listless in hospital bed. Perceptions influence care. It isn’t their fault. They are understaffed and overworked. But my dad wasn’t standing for it.

The day before discharge he was lying in bed when an aide came in, quietly singing to herself as she cleaned. ‘What song is that?’ he asked. She mentioned the name and while she continued her work he found it on Spotify and cranked his portable speaker up. She broke into a smile and began to dance. A nurse down the hall heard the commotion and joined in.

Now, that’s my dad.

I left for home once he had been home a few days. No dancing yet…….a yardstick in his recovery. A week later I receive the new video below with the note ‘I am back!’  

Yes you are…..

Happy Father’s Day Dad,
SARAH