Here we are with late
November approaching us once again. We have already seen the
summer foliage turn from green to the brilliant reds, yellows,
and oranges we look forward to seeing every autumn. This is also
the time of year that most of us turn our thoughts to planning
our family Thanksgiving get-togethers. For many, the thoughts of
scheduling dates and times for the traditional family gathering
is stressful, or even an unwelcomed task that they are happy to
see come and go. I have to admit that in years past I have been
among the crowd who kind of dreaded the very thought of taking
the time, and making the effort, to have to attend one gathering
and meal with my wife’s family, and then another with my family,
especially if they were both on the same day. Well, this year my
attitude has changed for a couple of different reasons.
The first reason for my about-face when it comes to our
Thanksgiving gatherings is because my wife and I were blessed
last December 13th with a beautiful baby girl. Miss Larkin
Autumn has changed our life in so many wonderful ways, and as
she approaches her first birthday, her Daddy takes great delight
in watching her develop into her own little person, as well as
having the privilege of experiencing life and it’s magic through
her eyes. I so very much look forward to sharing her first
Thanksgiving as she experiences the first installment of an
annual tradition with her family.
My second reason for no longer being a Thanksgiving Scrooge has
been brought about by a turn of events that were not at all as
joyous as Larkin coming into our family. In truth it took almost
losing someone very important in my life to help bring about my
new attitude.
Last year on November 18th life as we knew it in my family
became very different in an instant. I remember the day very
vividly. My wife Jackie and I were in Huntsville picking up a
few last minute necessities in preparation for the imminent
arrival of our baby. After a trip to Babies-R-Us, we had just
pulled into the parking lot of Macaroni Grill for lunch. As we
were parking, my cell phone rang with a call from my sister,
Angela. Instead of the normal call we had grown accustomed to
receiving from all of our family members, inquiring about how
Jackie was feeling during her last month of pregnancy, I knew
immediately this call was different as soon as Jackie, who had
answered the phone, said, “Hang on and let me put Mike on the
phone.” The next few minutes seemed to pass in slow motion as
Angela informed me that something had happened to our Dad,
Junior Saint.
Dad had been in the hospital at Marshall Medical Center North
for a couple of days after having some surgery. Immediately
following the surgery he had experienced some normal and
expected discomfort, and a few other issues that we mostly
attributed to the effects of the anesthesia, due to the fact
that Dad has a history with that sort of thing. However, one
side effect that was unusual, given the scenario, was that he
was complaining of a severe headache. I can remember him telling
me one night that even though he had dealt with migraines all
his life, this particular headache was ten times worse than any
he had ever had before. What we did not know at the time was
that the headache was an indication of something much more
serious that was about to take place.
On the afternoon of November 18th, Dad suffered an aneurysm in
the rear, lower right area of his brain, setting into motion a
series of events, and subsequent long road to recovery. Looking
back we were very fortunate that he was already in the hospital
when the aneurysm occurred, because if he had not started
receiving treatment as quickly as he did, we would have most
certainly lost him immediately. After being stabilized by Dr.
Quinn and the many other members of the hospital staff, Dad was
flown by helicopter to Huntsville Hospital’s NICU unit in
critical condition. During this time frame I managed to get
Jackie home, and make it back to Huntsville to the hospital
where I had just stepped out of the elevator on the eighth floor
where the NICU unit is located. I was met by the site of the
flight team coming in from the landing pad with Dad. He was
unconscious with tubes of all shapes and size running
everywhere. There was a definite sense of urgency as the medical
staff scrambled to do the things that needed to be done, and as
hard as it was, I made myself stay out of the way, waiting as
patiently as I could for an update as they disappeared with him
behind closed doors. Very shortly thereafter I met with Dr.
Jason Banks who was Dad’s neurosurgeon. If I had not realized it
already on my own, Dr. Banks soon made it very clear just how
serious Dad’s condition was, and he was very forthcoming about
things not looking good. He informed me that I needed to sign a
release form in order for the neurosurgery team to immediately
begin getting a drain into Dad’s head to relieve the pressure
that was building up from the bleeding inside his skull.
The following hours, and subsequent days and weeks were very
difficult as Dad struggled and fought to get better. Early on,
he experienced brief moments of improvement, only to then take
immediate steps backward as his condition would take a turn for
the worse. As I look back on that time, I recognize that the
only good thing was the fact that Dad had no idea what was going
on, and that he remembers no part of it now.
Just a few days prior to Christmas 2007, things finally turned
the corner for Dad and he began slowly showing very definite and
marked improvement. After being completely unconscious and
unresponsive for weeks, he began waking up and becoming more and
more alert and aware of where he was, as well as realizing how
sick he had been. While the months following Dad’s “awakening”
were still very hard as he, and the rest of our family,
struggled thru rehabilitation, therapy, and the general process
of recovering from a serious brain injury, things have gone
rather well, and even though he still is not back to 100% of his
mobility and strength prior to the aneurysm, he is back
nonetheless. While he has changed somewhat physically, you can
still look into his eyes and see the same man we all love so
very much, and for that reason alone I am very thankful.
Throughout, the past year I have become more and more thankful
as the fog of the events surrounding Dad being so sick has
slowly lifted. Mostly I am thankful that Dad is still here,
thankful that he and his newest granddaughter have had the
opportunity to become quite smitten with each other, thankful
that he continues to get better and stronger with each passing
day, and thankful to once again have the chance to come home
every evening and give him a call just to say, “Hey Pop. What’s
going on? How are you feeling today?”
I am also thankful for all of the kindness and support our
family received from friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and
even total strangers who would just come up and say that they
were praying for Dad to get better. I will not even begin to try
and thank everyone by name, because I know I would leave someone
out. If you ask, Dad will say it is very humbling to hear
everything that was done for him by all of those people. He will
tell you that he never knew how many friends he had until all of
this happened, and he will even say he doesn’t think he deserved
so much kindness and support from so many people. He will tell
those things because that is just the way he is. That is just my
Dad. The Lord has blessed him and guided him thru a very rough
time, and he has given our family a second chance to be thankful
that he is still around. That second chance is one a lot of
people do not get with their loved ones, one that even more
people would give almost anything to have, and one that I
promise I will never take for granted again.
As you can tell, Thanksgiving, and the holiday season in
general, will be extra special for the Saint family for a number
of reasons this year. I know we will make the most of our time
together and cherish the new memories that we create. I want to
encourage all of you to make the most of your time together as
well. When everyone is gathered, make sure to take the time to
talk to everybody. Shake hands or hug their neck before everyone
goes their separate ways, even if certain ones get on your
nerves a little. Don’t take it for granted that you will see
everybody again at the next holiday gathering. Take it from
someone who knows, that just might not happen, and it certainly
is not guaranteed. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you from our
family.
I love you, Pop.
