“If we had found him later, he would have died,” my father's doctor said to my mother; it took too long in the hospital to realize that my father's appendix had ruptured. The hospital had continued to misdiagnose him and now they were trying to convince my mother that the hospital was not at fault. I was only eleven at the time and too naive to understand what was happening. However, I could see that everyone in my family was stressed about the surgery my father had just undergone and his condition. For the past few days, my mother had only been home an hour a day to shower and have a snack. I saw his hands tremble, the bags under his eyes grow darker and darker and the color of his face disappear as did his appetite. She looked so fragile and stressed and I had no idea why she was so upset. I honestly believed that my father simply needed to spend some time in the hospital. I hadn't seen him since he was admitted to the hospital, but I knew he was strong enough to fight any disease. Now it was Thanksgiving break and my sister and I just wanted to go see our dad. One day my sister and I were finally able to visit him and from that moment everything changed. My sister, who had turned sixteen months earlier, accompanied us to the hospital in Davis. Little did I know that it would become a route that I would become very familiar with. I was so full of anticipation that the journey felt like it lasted two hours, even though it was actually only twenty minutes. As we approached the hospital, I noticed a large gray cloud over the hospital. Everything seemed to be colder and a depressing feeling washed over me. We got out of the car and I was immediately hit by a cold breeze. The wind was blowing through the bare trees and we rushed through... the center of the paper... we said "your father is going to die". However, my mother now tells us that she knew my father was dying and was afraid of having to live without him. During hospitalization, my sister and I only saw my father motivated and trying to get stronger. However, we now know that there were times when he felt defeated and wanted to give up. He tells us we were his reason to keep going and I couldn't be more proud to call him my father. I now see my father's hospitalization as a moment when my entire family worked together and overcame a huge obstacle. It has given me confidence that my family can overcome any obstacle thrown at us. That Thanksgiving is truly my favorite memory. It was a day of hope and joy, and it made me realize that I had so much to be grateful for. I am grateful that my father was able to live and will live a happy, appendix-free life.