A Short Book

So 2.5 years ago we were on our way to San Diego. We were ready for beach & surf & sun & excited & eager to get out of the Midwest. Well our good friends from Hawaii, Tyler & April Farmer, got transferred to St.Louis & the problems started. We were plenty excited to have them by family so we’d get to see them more often, but that wasn't enough. They ended up getting a house pretty close to my parents in a cute, little, quiet cul-de-sac. Of course they thought we should be moving back, so we settled by saying, “we’ll move back if a house comes up for sale in your cul-de-sac before we move to California in December.” Being that there were only 4 other houses than theirs & everyone was in for the long haul except one who had just moved in 4 months before, we thought we were good.

Of course April called out of control in October because that house was going on the market. Well it wasn’t in our “price range” so we broke our promise & continued plans for SD. The deciding factor, Ben’s acceptance letter to SDSU, just wasn’t coming & wasn’t coming. So when we were back one weekend at the end of Oct we agreed to take a tour of the house as the price had dropped quite a bit. Of course it was perfect but still too much. Well then the lady calls April to tell her she’ll drop it an extra $10,000 just for us, of course. It was the brick to the head that apparently we needed. There was some reason we needed to be in St.Louis. And of course 2 days later we get the acceptance letter & 5 days after that find out we’re pregnant. With our tail between our legs we moved to Stl instead of Cali.

In December, while we were still in Chicago we got several phone calls that my dad was having strokes. Mild ones, thank goodness, but they weren’t sure what was going on. The results came back in February that he had a rare brain disease known as Cadasil. It was just “discovered” and given a name several years ago, but my grandfather and great grandmother both had died from it. From how I understand it, it slowly clogs & kills parts of the brain over the years through a series of strokes and there is no cure for it yet. Once a person sees symptoms 7-10 years is usually the expectancy & my dad had already been seeing them for several. Also, there’s no guarantee as the power of the strokes is undetermined & a strong one could speed it up, as how my grandpa died, or small ones could slow it down. Either way there will be a dissent in physical & mental abilities & it won't be easy.

My dad has a good friend that is a chiropractor who has been doing any nonmedical techniques he has in addition to the many medications my dad is on & of course there are plenty of prayers out there for him. Plenty of hearts & thoughts & love with us.

It’s been 2 years since we heard the news & unexplainably the disease has barely progressed. It isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do. The dr. even thought he may have misdiagnosed it. There is definitely a miracle that is extending our time with this man we love so much. Every dr. appointment brings concern, but every time the news is good. There is so much pain out there & so many people that have loved ones taken away too soon, but for some reason we’ve been given a little break.

As I get older & grow & develop & figure out my own beliefs & ideas, moments like these continue to convince me that there is a larger plan & someone out there that is taking care of us. Someone that knows more than us. We are in each other’s lives for reasons & we are helping people in ways we don't know. We are here to love & be gentle with each other. We go on in our little lives while the bigger picture falls into place & we just trust.

We are so lucky to have this time with my dad & to be so close. To see my son love the man that is so special to me is nothing short of a miracle in itself. I am so, so grateful we are here. Although we’re freezing & bored out of our minds, I wouldn’t change the time here for the world.

All the Silva Babies- Dec 07Oct 07- Dad's B-day Present
Oct 07- Dad's 60th B-day
The Katzoffs- Dec 07
Sleeping on the way to NYC- July 07

P.S. Welcome to the world Lincoln Farmer!!!!