Fries, Tumors and Grace

I drove out to UCLA Medical Center on Saturday to visit Patrick in the hospital. It wasn't what I was expecting. Thinking bed pans and tubes in unnatural places, instead my family and I sat in the hospital's cafe along with Pat, his mom, and Charlie's family. The smell of burgers and fries covered the place. Interns and MD's chowed down on food not meant to keep people healthy. It wasn't your typical hospital visit.

I'd imagine Patrick wasn't your typical brain surgery patient however. Cracking jokes and talking about leaving that place, he didn't meet my expecations of a hospital patient, just had my brain operated on kid. True, I've never known anyone who has had their brain operated on, I'll admit, Pat's my first experience, but if Pat's the average let's-take-something-out-'o-your-brain-kind-of-patient, it doesn't look that bad, actually!

In reality it just proves something I've just always thought: Pat's a tough kid. His uncanny ability to race and race hard was evident early on. I have to assume that beyond the grace of God, he's come through this surgery with the same speed he covers a race course. His tenacity has won the day.

We will be patient in the healing process, knowing that one doesn't operate on one's brain lightly. However, as I sat there conversing with a 16 year old just days separated from his brain tumor and smelling lunch and seeing life and listening to his commentary about the fate of our beloved Dodgers' season, I could only conclude this: Remarkable!

Welcome back, Patrick.