Dad's surgery was worse than expected. Not as bad as it could have been, though. He does have cancer... and extension of the lip cancer he has had removed twice. It has grown down his jaw to a lymph node there. They took out the lymph node and a salivary gland that was swollen and infected and also some other lymph nodes to biopsy. The doctor said that this is the easiest cancer to treat with radiation and usually completely eradicates it. Daddy will heal from this surgery and then have the radiation daily in about a month for four to six weeks. Daddy was in great spirits yesterday. I think he was just so relieved to get the surgery over.

Since this diary is all about ME... I am whupped. He didn't get to go home so he spent a night in the hospital. We were at the hospital about eleven hours. The surgery started late, lasted long, slow coming out of anesthesia, finally got a room... Then yesterday we went back up to the hospital and I had to leave before he was released. I drove back to Austin just in time for my show and I had about a million things to do while I was on the air, including recording a show for last night in Virginia. I was really juggling everything. I worked as late as I could stand and then came home. Today I had a long long day again trying to catch up. I'm not there yet, because I should have cut Monday's show for Virginia, but I'll procrastinate.

I'll be short tonight, but I want to remember the pestilence that was Bro' Bud at the hospital. This is a sweet misguided man that is a retired preacher and is Mom and Dad's Sunday School teacher (I personally think it is stupid when people over 12 go to something called "Sunday school"). This many has driven Mom and Dad to distraction since they've lived there and they have done very little to discourage him so I blame them for his everpresence. But I hate that it infringed on my time this week. We got to the hospital at 10 a.m. Wednesday. They had asked us to be there by 10:30, but Daddy was anxious and wanted to get there. At 10:20, this man and his wife show up to "visit" and minister or whatever. They sit and visit and say that she has an appointment nearby at one p.m. Augh. From this I gather that they are going to stay with us until then. Then they mention lunch so I'm hoping they will leave soon so they can enjoy lunch before her appointment. About 1115 they say "Hey, I bet there is a cafeteria here, isn't there?" We played dumb. Cafeteria? What is this thing you speak of, a cafeteria? They still sit and visit and just seem ready to stay and help the doctor out by handing him scalpels and related cute stories about their grandchildren. Finally about 1145 they leave.

Dad's surgery was supposed to begin at 12 noon, but obviously that isn't going to happen. Finally about 1220 they call us to go to the room where they will get him ready. Damned if we aren't about to walk out of the waiting room when here comes Bro' Bud and his wife again! Must have found the cafeteria and wolfed down their food so they wouldn't miss a minute of the fun. Fortunately, we just said Bye and hustled on to the room where Daddy would be prepped and we would be alone. Believe me, I come from a family that loves to be alone!

Dad is starving because he hasn't even been able to have water since before midnight, but my mom and sister and I are also hungry, but hate to eat in front of Daddy. He started dozing though, so we were sneaking handfuls of peanut M&Ms that my sister smuggled in. Finally they took Daddy to the operating room at 3 pm. Mom and sis and I rush off to the cafeteria for sustenance. We visit and eat for 30 minutes and then make our way back to the waiting rooms. Mom and sis stop at the bathroom.

The minute I walk in the waiting room someone tells us there has been a nurse looking for someone from our family. Oh no! What could it be? The doctor had said it might be 30 minute surgery, are they done already? Or is there something terribly wrong? I go in search of a nurse and find her and rush to tell her that I am with our family. She says, "Oh, yes, you had a phone call, from a Reverend....?" AUGH. I let her know that this man bordered on being a stalker. She had told him that we probably had gone to get something to eat.

An hour or so later we were in the waiting room when there was another call from this man! My sister took it and tried to let him know that WE would call HIM. Didn't phase him a bit. Mom and I got back to their house at 9 o'clock and there was a message from him. Got up in the morning and by 8 o'clock there was another call/message from him (you don't think I would answer a call from him, do you?). Saving grace is that he and his wife were on their way out of town for a week so at least Daddy will be spared his visits for six more days.

I have a huge admiration for preachers that Mother and Daddy have had that come and visit at the hospital and give support. They stop, support, pray, and LEAVE. I feel like this guy does all of this not for our benefit but just so he can say, "look at me and what I do to help the sick.... I'M a GOOD Christian." I told my best friend B! that this was why I don't go to church. She said I could become a Catholic because they'll barely say hello to you on Sunday.