Scary News Concerning My Father-in-law

January 21, 2025

Yesterday, Bruce received a text that his father had been found in his car, confused and disoriented. He was inside the garage, with the car’s trunk open and the hazard lights on. Luckily, this attracted the attention of a neighbor. We think he felt strange and managed to hit the hazard button.

The neighbor was able to get him to the hospital. She stayed at the hospital while they ran test. My FIL was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma. The local hospital didn’t feel equipped to handle it and had him airlifted to Jacksonville, FL.

We thought it meant surgery was going to happen as soon as my FIL arrived at the hospital in Jacksonville.

This was not the case. They assigned him a room and kept an eye on him. He was agitated and kept trying to get out of bed.

My FIL neighbor was wonderful through this ordeal, keeping my SIL up to date as the doctors ran tests. My SIL has power of attorney and gave the hospital permission to tell the neighbor results of the test so she could tell us.

While this was going on, my sister-in-laws and Bruce started looking into flights to get to Brunswick, GA. My sister-in-law with the POA got a flight booked. Bruce was talking about driving, so I would be there as well. (We’d take Nox.)

She had originally planned to go to Savannah, Georgia and drive to Brunswick, Georgia. She was on the way to the airport when she found out my FIL was being airlifted to Jacksonville, Florida.

My brother-in-law (middle son) was able to get her a flight to Jacksonville from the Atalanta airport. This was a huge help to her.

It is good she made it to Jacksonville before the winter storm of snow and ice hits Jacksonville today.

This morning, Bruce’s siblings and Bruce discussed what the surgeon told my SIL. He said the bleeding had started a while ago. Maybe when my FIL fell a few ago and had a concussion, the bleeding started.

The surgeon said there was a 30% chance the outcome wouldn’t be what they wanted. My SIL wanted to make sure everyone was okay with proceeding with the surgery. The surgeon put my FIL on the schedule for surgery, with the idea that if the family didn’t want the surgery, they would take him off the schedule.

The answer was yes, he needs the surgery.

So today, he is having brain surgery.

My friends, please keep him and Bruce’s family in your thoughts.