My Daddy;)
He will celebrate his 80th birthday in January of 2009.....
“Johnsons” are tough....especially the ones from Northwestern Iowa. The eldest of six children, he lost his mom when he was only 14 years old. The family struggled financially so he had to work on neighboring farms for his room and board while finishing high school.
Now he’s a retired LA County Fireman who plays golf twice a week in Chino Hills, California with fellow retirees. Last week he was finishing the back nine, pulled the flag pin for a fellow golfer, and passed out. Initially, the other golfers thought he had fallen, but he knew otherwise. In pain, he played four more holes (including a bogey on a par 4) and rode the last two. His reasoning to me: “Terri! I had such a great front nine, I just couldn’t quit!”
The pain became unbearable the last couple of holes and his friends wanted to summon help, but he refused. His friend John wanted to drive him home. No! He would drive himself, and did so....the entire 35 miles. When my mother arrived home, she found him in excruciating pain and wanted to call 911. No!
He took his carotid pulse and noticed a flutter, so finally agreed to go to the Emergency Room. Diagnosis: Four broken ribs, numbers 5, 6, 7 & 8 with indications of heart issues and a collapsing left lung. He spent two nights in the hospital.
Initial tests indicate that his heart is good, but he’ll have a chemical stress test next week to see how it reacts under a load. Partial blockages in the subclavian artery will need to be dealt with too.
My dad is my hero. He gave me the Johnson-gene of exploration and adventure; an appreciation and respect of nature and the outdoors; a love of birds; and, hopefully, he shared just a little bit of his tough gene too;)
But right now, he's just itchin' to play a little more cow-pasture pool!
No comments:
Post a Comment