I have the privilege to know a courageous man who has been facing a lot lately. This man has been in and out of the hospital since August. He went through several different procedures within the past two months but remained optimistic through everything – it’s dumbfounding how strong he is. Luckily, now he is beginning to recover.

You wouldn’t expect to find out that someone you were super close to was being admitted to the hospital when you’re at Splish Splash… but it happened. It was a really tough day finding out that he was diagnosed with pneumonia… It was even worse when I was told I couldn’t see him right away.

Only a few days after he was admitted did he have his first procedure – followed by another. He was in the hospital for about two weeks at this point, keeping his head up high and working as hard as he could to make it a speedy recovery. Unfortunately, he was having some other problems that the pneumonia caused, and found out that he needed more surgery. Can you imagine having pneumonia but not knowing, so in the meantime you are out enjoying yourself obliviously?

The night before things got pretty awful for him, he was at a wedding. He wasn’t feeling that well, but he shrugged it off and managed to have a great time. Within 48 hours, it was evident that something was wrong. He was coughing excessively – it was so painful that he literally thought he had broken a rib somehow. It hadn’t dawned on him that he could have had such an awful sickness.

Anyway, he needed more surgery but he was still weakened from the previous ones… so they discharged him temporarily. Within the time he was discharged, he attended my cousin’s bar mitzvah. He wasn’t feeling great but he went and he had an amazing time. He was smiling and honestly it made my cousins day… I was so happy he was able to go. Only a few days after the party was he readmitted to the hospital to have his final procedure. It’s over, and all is well right now.

Slowly but steadily he is getting there and I’ll be by his side the entire time. I am honored to know such an incredible man who is going through so much and handling it so well. I love him to the moon and back… this remarkable man is my grandpa.