Pop...
Somewhere along the course of our lives we reach a turning point when it comes to our parents. Up to this point, they have and always will be those persons who raised, cared, and loved you. Even when you were an unlovable, rebellious teenager. There is however a point when you realize that they do not have all the answers, that they are in fact, like you, just making this up as they go along. Fallible and mortal, you begin to see them in a new light. Not as the 9 foot tall, fire breathing authority figures they once were, but as people. Eventually, as they age you start to see them as frail humans who now need you to help care for them

I have often said that I owe my father for most of my charming traits and several of my fatal flaws. Married too young and driven with the conviction to provide for his family, he has worked hard his entire life. Armed with less than a year of college and a deep well of perseverance he has never been unemployed. Ever. Under his watch, we never missed a day of church, never went hungry, and could only miss school if we were on death’s door. I did not appreciate or understand him when I was a teen, often angry that he was at work and not at one of my shows or events. Not until it was my turn to strike out and set my own destiny did I realize the amount of sacrifices he made to keep a roof over our heads.

He once said to me, after walking away from a ludicrously well paying job in order to gamble it all on starting his own firm, “I never want to be old and regret not taking the chance”.

Eventually, after years of hard work, 3 kids raised, a 30 year marriage ended, and a business grown strong by his hands he set about to live out his dream. To sail the warm, deep blue waters of the south pacific. To do nothing more in a day than set a course, follow the wind and chase the dolphins as they raced along side the sailboat. I am very proud of him for doing this. It takes a lot of guts to give up all the comforts of home and set about the coastline of a third world country armed with just what you have onboard.

Last year he launched that dream and spent 9 months cruising the Gulf of Mexico..

While he does not fully grasp what I do for a living, he does appreciate the risk and understands what I mean when I let out a sigh of exhaustion and tell him, “love to stay and chat Pop, but I have a lot more miles to go this day before I can see my bed.”

So what do you do when your father tells you, “Son, I’m sick... ” ?

My father requires a kidney transplant or he will live the rest of his life attached to a machine, a fate worse than death for a man who longs for the open sea. I, of all the kids have the best chance of being a potential donor. Young (well younger than the rest of my siblings), in shape, non smoker, rare drinker, and willing to try. The question is, just how far am I willing to go to save a parent? If it were your father, would you step up and do the same?

And so dear readers, just when you thought you had enough to keep you entertained we now add “adventures in organ transplant” to the list of things to look forward to reading about.