I tease my Dad endlessly about his snoring - it is truly something out of Looney Tunes or an old Disney short (imagine a blanket rising up and down over the bed). But, in reality, the sound of my Dad snoring and the fact that he is actually sleeping is music to my ears. Here's why:
My first seizure was in the fall of my Sophomore year of high school. I was on a high - I was in the middle of an extraordinary tennis season that I worked really hard for, my grades were great, and I had an amazing group of friends. And then, one night I went to bed, I woke up in the middle of the night, and my parents heard me slam up against the bathroom door and engage in a 4 1/2 minute full body seizure. That's it - there were no signs, no symptoms, no stressors. My folks were blindsided.
To hear them recount this tale then - "we heard a thud, we tried to push open the door, there was nothing you could do, you just want to hold them and know you can't" - was horrible. But, to hear them recount it now that I am a parent it is just devastating. I can't even imagine what my parents were going through, but I try and it makes us closer.
About 10% of the world's population has just one seizure in their lifetime, so after that first seizure and appointments with Neurologists, I was told to just wait it out and see. But, my Dad didn't really sleep again. I can remember coming home at night, going to the bathroom at night, waking up earlier than him in the morning - in high school, Summers during college, even as an adult when my husband and I briefly lived with my folks while our house was being worked on and my Dad saying "Brig, is that you - everything ok?" And me saying, "Go back to sleep" with a smile.
Now 14-years seizure free and a parent and I finally hear my Dad snoring sometimes I think - yep, I get it. And, I love you too.
Daddy's Girl
No comments:
Post a Comment