useless in seattle

this weekend my mom took my dad to the hospital when he had trouble with his left side. he had a ct scan which showed some claudification, but didn't stay long enough for an mri. so he had an mri done on wednesday which showed that he's had two strokes.

they live in miami. Jak and i live in seattle.

he's going in for surgery this afternoon (friday @ 1 eastern time), but we're not arriving until saturday night.

there's a real sense of impotence being so many thousands of miles away while my family goes through this, especially just over a month past my grandmother's passing.

i'm thankful that we'll be able to be there as of saturday, but this week that has passed in between his visit to the er and now, has been one of worry and frustration (hence the silence in this little corner of the blogosphere).

so for those who are people of prayer, i ask that you keep my family in your prayers in the coming days. i probably won't be posting for at least another week and a half or so as i don't expect to have the time or much to say for a while.

[updated 1.5.07]
my dad had his surgery today (a stent inserted into his right carotid artery which had been 90% blocked), and all went well. he should be out of the hospital and recovering at home tomorrow, just a few hours before we arrive.