POST FROM STEPHEN:
Dad continues to sleep most of the time. After visiting him yesterday, we felt that he was sleeping more lightly than before and was waking more frequently, apparently with some discomfort. Today, the nurses increased the painkiller dosage slightly to try to compensate.
When Mom and I arrived today, Dad happened to be having a wakeful moment. He clearly recognized us and gave us a bit of a smile. Jonathan and Jacinta arrived shortly after, and we had a few minutes all together with Dad awake and aware that we were there, before he drifted off to sleep again.
Dad's sister, Clara, is coming to stay with Mom on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then sister-in-law Bridget will be arriving on Thursday. I am heading back to Toronto tonight and returning here by Friday. I will update the blog with any news on the weekend.
I think you guys are doing the right thing, keeping him comfortable. Better to be asleep and at peace than awake and in distress. I'm glad both that your immediate family had that moment together with your dad, and that Anne will have people with her over the next several days. It's comforting to know that everyone's doing right by your mom and dad, and to know that everything possible is being done to keep your dad at peace and make these weeks as merciful as possible for him.
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