Is the glass half full or half empty? Depending on what was going on in my life, I could answer either way. In September of 2008 it was half full - I had just bought my first home, I was finally feeling like I'd hit a winning pace on the tenure "track" and on the whole, life was good.
Then my glass got turned upside down. Dad's declining handwriting was found to be caused by a brain tumor. Not just any brain tumor, but a Grade IV glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive, terminal brain tumor (if it sounds familiar, it's the same cancer Ted Kennedy has).
Having an ill parent is bad enough, but when your Dad is the primary caregiver of your Mom, who has dementia of unknown cause, it becomes even more complicated. And when you're an only child, you can't just ditch the situation on someone else. It falls on you, even if you live far away.
With the support of my department I'm on leave of absence for spring semester of 2009. I'm moving back in to the family home, after 16 years away. This blog will be a public journal of my leave, the adjustment of my priorities from work to family and the joys and trials of caregiving. I'll use it to keep current with friends, hopefully help some strangers, and keep myself sane.
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