Dad is completely immobilized now–it’s his arthritis cropping up, which under the circumstances seems so pedestrian. He’s wan and uncomfortable, ashen but still funny. I’m not quite as funny as usual, but I just lost …

Dear Friends and Family,
Dad, much to his dismay, is hanging on like a tenacious pit bull. We’ve had strong words with his ticker and his organs but they don’t seem to be listening; indeed they …

Dad is smacking his gums right now with a childlike glee, not because he’s losing his marbles but because he’s checking in on the systems that still work. More pieces have fallen off; he’s driving …

We’ve gotten the word from on high (his docs, since no other authority holds much water for Dad) that we’re nearing the end of the race. Which we knew, but it’s been officially annointed by …

One of Dad’s oldest and dearest friends Betsy was visiting from New York when my brother Chris, my husband and I went to Dad’s house to do some chores for him. Dad had …

The days are balmy after an intolerably late start to summer. Portlanders, usually sanguine about their weather, have been twitchy and edgy, all chatty conversations winding inevitably to our hopes for a summer to finally …

We find ourselves at sea with the imprecision of language in medical jargon. Scrap it and start over.

With PSA numbers rising and the field of medical options narrowing, it’s tough to take a look at the situation. This writing thing isn’t for the faint of heart.

If the devil is in the details, I have a close personal relationship with him these days. With all the hithering-and-thithering which has taken place, and the emotional tax that has been levied at the …

Hello, Visitors of Dad! There are so many of you!
I just wanted to remind everyone that the Calendar of Dad is being updated as accurately as I can with dates, and MAY IS FULL! You’ve …

It’s a beautiful April afternoon. My son is spraying the hose to make rainbows in the back yard, our new dog is finding proper zones for sunshine naps, Lars just put Marvin Gaye on his …

All’s well that pee’s well. So sayeth Dr. Pee, who told Dad that rather than getting the RotoRooter treatment, which sounds plum horrific, he’s going to get stents in his bladder which allow fluid to …

Dad and I are on a carnival ride in earnest now; at the very least we’re in the car a lot. His radiation treatments have begun and every night I whisk him away to OHSU …

By turns hilarious, frustrating and sad, drugs add one more layer in Dad’s ongoing saga: a dopey, forgetful layer full of steroids and naps.