April 28
The thing you need to know about Strother is that he has a fair amount of disdain for being in a hospital. Add to that a sheer will to make sure he doesn’t have to spend one more hour there than he absolutely has to which makes for some pretty impressive performances.
Once, years ago, after a short procedure where he had been under anesthesia for an hour or so, his nurses said he’d need to be alert enough to get into his chair before they could discharge him. So Strother, still half asleep, asked the nurse to come in. He popped his whole body up, widened his eyes, and enthusiastically said, “I feel GREAT! I think I’m all good! Let’s get the discharge started!” The nurse said she’d get him out of there as soon as possible and left the room. He immediately flopped back onto his pillow in utter exhaustion and said to me, “She bought it.”
That’s Stro! Like I said he wants out of a hospital more than anything. When he is actually in distress his brain lets him relax into the situation and he stays put.
Four days after the removal of a tumor that was larger than we all even imagined, he wanted out. He had a few benchmarks to reach for discharge and he pushed himself as hard as he could to meet them. He forced liquids. He ate food when he wasn’t feeling hungry. He declined pain meds (this is a fascinating thing about my son, he pushes through some fairly extraordinary pain because he knows that those medications can slow him down).
And so they discharged us. FOUR days after major surgery.
Today, SIX days after major surgery he spent the afternoon with friends, fraternity brothers, a community of college students and Jon Bonnell, who is also rigorously forcing himself through a challenging recovery from cancer, to participate in one of the most successful Blood Drives TCU has ever hosted.
There is a reality that pathology reports we are waiting for with excruciating anticipation could show that he still needs additional treatment.
We know he fights. We know he’s got the will and strength to endure the worst.
Whatever happens, he will get past this. With the incredible team of surgeons, oncologists, nurses, friends and family. And, I believe, because he wants it badly enough to be over, he’ll just get it over with. No matter what it takes.
