Erica's dad had a stroke last week. We took some time off and went down there
to help out and get a feel for how he's doing; he has lost most of his
ability to communicate (and to a lesser degree, understand what he's being
told), and quite a bit of dexterity on the right side of his body, but he's
able to get up and around by himself, and he pretty clearly comprehends what
is happening around him. He's having a very hard time with this, and Erica's
mom isn't dealing well with it either; everyone around him is treating him
like he's an invalid, when in fact he's sharp as a tack except for his
language skills, and being treated like that has got to be unimaginably
frustrating. He's currently in an in-patient rehabilitation center, where
they're giving him with both physical and speech therapy. Sorry, I don't
have any insightful things to say about this; it's just a terrible thing
to have happened.