Day 18 Update: Moving on Up

Eighteen days ago dad arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Today, he left by choice — on his way to the next chapter of his recovery.

Around 2:30 in the afternoon, I called the rehab facility to find out what to bring for Dad. That’s when they told me — he was being transported this evening around 7 pm. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I walked straight into the hospital and told him the news.

“Hey, you get to move.”

There was some relief from him too, but I’m not sure he fully understood in that moment what it meant — that he was actually leaving the hospital. We spent about an hour together, just hanging out and chatting, and then I headed out.

I came back to the rehab around 7:15 and had actually beaten him there. His wife arrived about five minutes later, and then we waited. When Dad finally came through, we cheered him on. The transport team took him up, and a few minutes later, the woman at the front desk looked at us and said, “You guys can go up.”

His wife had come prepared — flowers, a suitcase full of his comfy clothes, all kinds of good stuff to make it feel like his space. When we got to the room, it was just the family — his wife, my brother, his girlfriend’s daughter, and me. The room was empty, no roommate yet, and the whole place felt brighter and more relaxed than the hospital. A different energy entirely.

Dad was overwhelmed — understandably so. New place, new faces, questions coming at him from every direction about medications and care. I was glad to be there. I answered what needed to be answered, helped take some of the weight off, and got him settled. Showed him how to use the call button for the nurses. And then we all said goodnight.

Goodbye chaos. Hello, next steps.

The recovery journey continues — and tonight it continues somewhere new.