Breathing Easier

We recently found out that Daddy's daddy has been diagnosed with Emphysema. This is not great news, but it's not terrible either. Pops has been feeling crummy for a while, and no one was able to tell him why for a long time. Having a diagnosis that he can work with and treat is a huge relief. It also explains a lot of the symptoms he has experienced for many years.

Daddy Don announced this weekend that this diagnosis was a huge wake up call for him. I actually wept with relief.

Ya'll remember how he had a tiny heart 'issue' last year, right? Well, that (plus my prodding) was enough to finally send him to the acupuncturist for a stop-smoking treatment. It worked. He was impressed... then he decided that he could have a few cigarettes here and there, and just go back in to have the treatment again later since it worked so well the first time :-/ So the number of cigarettes that he has allowed himself has slowly crept back up... and up.

So his big revelation was that he absolutely cannot do this any more. He is resolved to be One Month Smoke Free by Baby Lily's second birthday. This is huge, you guys. Up until this point, he was making all the right noises in order to make the rest of us happy. This time, he's actually scared, and I can hear the determination in his announcement. This is the first time that I believe that he really will stop smoking for himself.

We believe in him. We want him to live and THRIVE. We need him to stay around and do zoo animal impressions for us!!!