Well, I'm headed back to the Left Coast again.
I've spent the majority of the summer in Los Gatos, helping care for my Father-in-Law, following a debilitating stroke. And the stroke itself was after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung cancer.
My father-in-law gave me my first ukulele in November. Since then, I've acquired a couple more.While I was in California, we used the ukulele and singing as part of his speech therapy. The improvement during the first 3 week visit was amazing.
We went back to New York for 2 weeks, then back to California, and the deterioration was obvious. During those 3 weeks, I watched him grow progressively weaker, and more and more frustrated, as his communication skill degraded.
Until it was time to sing.
While he didn't get any better, he didn't stop trying to sing.
Two days after we left, he was hospitalized. he stayed at Good Samaritan for a week, then into a skilled nursing facility, from Thursday until Sunday Morning.
On Sunday, he passed away.
We got to say goodbye during our time out there, and learned how much music meant to him.
I'll be playing 3 songs for him at the memorial service, and I know I'll see him singing along, every time I close my eyes.
So if you don't see me around over the next couple of weeks, injecting my comments into otherwise serious discussions, you'll know where I'll be.
Aloha.
..- Kurt
I've spent the majority of the summer in Los Gatos, helping care for my Father-in-Law, following a debilitating stroke. And the stroke itself was after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung cancer.
My father-in-law gave me my first ukulele in November. Since then, I've acquired a couple more.While I was in California, we used the ukulele and singing as part of his speech therapy. The improvement during the first 3 week visit was amazing.
We went back to New York for 2 weeks, then back to California, and the deterioration was obvious. During those 3 weeks, I watched him grow progressively weaker, and more and more frustrated, as his communication skill degraded.
Until it was time to sing.
While he didn't get any better, he didn't stop trying to sing.
Two days after we left, he was hospitalized. he stayed at Good Samaritan for a week, then into a skilled nursing facility, from Thursday until Sunday Morning.
On Sunday, he passed away.
We got to say goodbye during our time out there, and learned how much music meant to him.
I'll be playing 3 songs for him at the memorial service, and I know I'll see him singing along, every time I close my eyes.
So if you don't see me around over the next couple of weeks, injecting my comments into otherwise serious discussions, you'll know where I'll be.
Aloha.
..- Kurt