Happy Birthday, Dad

Let me tell you about my dad.

My dad is a musician. A trumpet player to be exact. When he was in the Coast Guard Band from 1955 until 1971, he traveled all over the world and played for inaugurations (including Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon) and funerals (the most memorable being JFK). But most importantly, he played. After he retired he kept playing, because he’s a musician. He played every chance he got. If you asked him to play, he was there; community bands, local theater groups, funerals. He conducted the church orchestra. He arranged music for other musicians.

If I could only use one word to describe my dad, it would be….musician. Followed closely be corny. The man loves a corny joke.

Eight years ago, almost to the day, my dad suffered a massive stroke. It was pretty touch and go for a while, and I was afraid we were going to lose him. And even after he was stable, I was afraid we were going to lose him. The person we love. My dad.

But he fought, and worked, and fought some more. He slowly came out of the fog. Four months in the hospital, endless hours of rehab, he didn’t give up. One day, when he was moved into the rehabilitation wing, my mom asked the nurses if she could bring in his mouthpiece. Not his whole trumpet, just his mouthpiece. Just to see.

They thought it was a great idea, and so she did. She presented my dad with his mouthpiece. And we held our breath.

The noise he made was the most beautiful sound we had ever heard (although we should have warned the nurses) because we knew he would be okay. The stroke had ravished his body and left him paralyzed on his left side, but it couldn’t take away who he was. My dad, the musician.

Today is my dad’s birthday. He is eighty years old, and I am happy to say, he is doing amazing! He has gotten a lot of function back through hard work and determination. He and my mom (who is also amazing!) are busier than ever. And ask him to play, he’ll still be there.

Happy birthday, Dad! We love you and are so proud of you!