Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Oh, Happy Day!


Today is my father’s 90th birthday! Under normal circumstances 90 is a remarkable milestone but in my father’s case, it’s miraculous. He had a mishap with another bicyclist last October and ended up with 8 broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He was in the hospital for four weeks hooked up to drains, drips, and oxygen. There were many times when we didn’t think he’d make it. And there were many more times when he didn’t want to make it. But all the years of bicycling and skiing paid off and he has made a full recovery in less than 4 months.
To celebrate, he tried skiing yesterday. Here he is, putting on his skis.


He did great and he had so much fun that when he stopped for lunch, he bought a season pass! That’s it hanging around his neck. Not to take away any of his glory, but I do want to mention that he still wears the ski sweater I knitted for him about 30 years ago.


15 comments:

Nicole said...

You're lying! There is NO WAY he is 90. He doesn't look any older than 65.
And you seem to have been lucky and gotten the ageless bug as well.
Congrats to both of you, and happy birthday to him!

Jersey Shore Deb said...

Isn't that wonderful!!! My mother will turn 90 in 3 weeks. While I don't think she could ski (because she never did!), she is active and lively and we are very thankful to be preparing to celebrate with her.

Congratulations to your father and to you!

JelliDonut said...

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this.

Karen said...

That is so awesome. No wonder he looks so young. Way to go for him. How fun is that!!

Sandra said...

Wow! I am speechless. That is so fabulous - you are so lucky to still have your folks. Thanks so much for sharing the story and the pictures. Beautiful sweater!
Sandra

Virginia G said...

Oh, that's so wonderful! And I'm glad to hear that he's made a full recovery.

april said...

Love this story!
I love that your dad has progressed this far and that his progress inspires me to continue being active as a "40-something youngster".
I also love that you loved him, so you made him a sweater and he loves you, so he is still wearing it 30 years later.
Love this story!

Rae said...

I'm so happy to hear your father has made such a great recovery! Happy Birthday to him.

My Grandpa turns 90 in 2 months & we're all equally excited that he's active & in good health. It's fantastic to have family be around to see so much of their family as it grows.

Donna said...

Happy birthday to your dad! In his honor, I promise to exercise diligently - after all, it pays off!

knitting bean said...

Does my heart good to see this. Congratulations to him! You are very lucky to have your Dad.

Jessie McKitrick said...

I'm so glad your father is doing so much better! He looks great (and so does the sweater).

Pat's here said...

He's an inspiration! Thanks for telling this story.

Renna said...

Wow, your dad is my hero! I can only imagine how proud you must feel of him. :-)

Oh, and nice sweater!

Kayten said...

My mom would have been 90 tomorrow. My daughter wrote a lovely tribute to her on www.girlsgonewild.me dated 2/10/10. The blog is actually a compilation of a number of age 30ish women, and not as indiscrete as its title implies.
I'm glad your dad is doing so well. Gives me further impetus to get moving myself. Nice sweater, by the way.

Anonymous said...

Forgive me for speaking frankly...

Holy WOW!

Congratulations and I hope you have many happy skiing days with your father.