they say its your birthday

my original 1st birthday

Today was a bit more than just ‘another’ 39^th birthday it was also my 1^st birthday since successful lung cancer surgery.

I did not even know such birthdays were possible almost a year ago, so yeah this one was ‘special’.

Started the day with a brisk Birthday 5K Walk that started in morning fog yielding to beams of sunlight before a rude rain cloud blew through with a finale of windy rain.

Of course it was also my 23^rd birthday as a Multiple Sclerosis spouse caregiver and sooner than later any day has got to be viewed through MS 'symptom D' glasses.

Sooooo stopping by Patti’s long term care facility to include her, I tried to coax out of her MS dementia any recall of my birthday; after all I should exist in long term memory.

Questions about month and or date failed to get anywhere but finally the 18^th rang a bell and coupled with ‘birthday’ she at last offered that it was her birthday’. (Actually that is September the 18^th but remember I've been a MS caregiver for 23 years – what’s it matter who’s birthday it is.)

Heading home for dinner and opening some presents I have to credit our daughter for quick thinking as she improvised that someone must have misspelled Patti as Patrick on the cards. Patti enjoyed opening her cards and presents and just as quickly lost them in short term memory loss … where I will magically ‘find’ them.

After transferring and tucking Patti into bed at her facility I headed off to treat myself to an evening showing of “The Hobbit”. 

Mentioning it was my birthday I was pleasantly surprised to discover my admission was free!!! I settled down with a bag of popcorn and sat back to enjoy a story I had not read since college when the only birthday I cared about was turning 21. 

Patrick Leer

BLOGS:

Caregivingly Yours, MS Caregiver @ http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/

My Lung Cancer Odyssey @ http://lung-cancer-survivor.blogspot.com/

multiple sclerosis caregiving care giving