TheBanyanTree: Birthdays are the best...an update

[Sharon Mack]

This Saturday a family friend and myself went to visit my son, Philip,
at his Coast Guard Station.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  I took
Christmas as well as birthday (he never had Christmas because he had
been in New York City for the orange alert) and we were taking him to
lunch that afternoon.  Any place he wanted to go.  The sky was the
limit.  He claimed I cheated knowing how limited his diet was :-)

We had a wonderful day and we went to his favorite restaurant.  When we
left, he was very tired but was happy.

The unfortunate thing was that he had insisted on driving.  The doctor
HAD told him he could but I don't think he realized how stressful it
could be.  We questioned the wisdom of it but he insisted and so he
drove.  The outcome was another overnighter at the hospital.  His
electrolytes were off and his blood had thickened once more so another
adjustment was needed to his meds.  They called it an "episode."  It was
still scary!

Today it was his actual birthday (he turned 25) and I called his cell
phone (he was at the doctors) and sang to him.  I added a few loving
verses of my own.  He called me when he returned and was
laughing...that's a good sign, yeah???