My Best Friend

  I am a daddy’s girl. Anyone who knows me well at all is aware of the fact that my father, Tom,  is a major part of my life. I do not go a day without calling, texting or talking about him. As long as I can remember, I have always felt that there was nothing in the world my daddy couldn’t do, couldn’t fix or couldn’t make better.
I am the youngest of three girls and have always felt that my dad was in fact the best father in the world. My dad has always been there for me as a coach, a friendand he took care of me when he was the only person I recognized.
When I was 18- years- old, a senior in high school, I suffered the worst injury of my life: a concussion. I remember waking up on the cold ground hearing my dad calling over an EMT. I knew it was my dad of course, but everyone else around me seemed to be a stranger, as I would find out later, even my mom.
The ambulance ride to the hospital seemed like an eternity. Tears streamed down my face at the thought of being all alone, the EMT’s insisted that I would see my dad again as soon as we arrived, and I did. After X-rays and CT scans of my brain and neck were finished I was asked many questions. Who are these people next to you? Do you know what year it is? Who is Danyelle and Ashleigh? (my sisters). Do you know what happened? I got two of these questions right, I knew my parents and I knew I hit my head, my sisters, well… I thought they were our dogs’ names.
With nothing more the hospital could do, we went home. Scared and sleepy, my dad sat and watched “Cars” with me as he asked me questions to try to get me to remember. I’m not sure how many movies I made my dad watch with me in the following weeks, but he never complained.
He didn’t complain when I woke him up to talk to me at 3 a.m., or when I dropped a jar of spaghetti sauce all over the kitchen floor. He didn’t complain when I wanted tacos (one of his most hated foods) for dinner  most nights or when he had to make sure I didn’t fall asleep in the shower. He sacrificed his sleep, his work and I’m sure some of his sanity to make sure I was happy.
With missing weeks of school, my dad made sure that when I got back into school, I would feel comfortable. I would be able to go to prom¸ participate in sports night, take the classes I had to take in order to graduate and have teachers I knew.  He saved my senior year and he fixed all my problems.
There are times I go without showing my dad how truly grateful I am that I was blessed to have him in my life. He has always been there for me and continually shows how much he loves our family.
My daddy is my support system, my biggest fan  and my best friend.