As I type this, my dad is currently being prepped for surgery back in Illinois.

He’s having a total knee replacement on both of his knees at the same time, via a minimally invasive surgery technique called Wright’s Knee Replacement. You can view a non-gross animation of the surgery here. It will require four days of hospitalization along with several months of rehabilitation.

If I understood him correctly, his surgeon is very well experienced, and is a member of the the Chicago Bears’ surgical team. As long as he’s not Rex Grossman’s doctor, I think my dad should be in pretty good hands (kidding, of course).

When I spoke to my dad yesterday afternoon, he was a bit nervous, but a bit excited as well. He’s never had to spend the night in the hospital before– well, except when my siblings were born in the middle of the night, which I assumed happened. He’ll have to spend four days in the hospital, followed by an extended period off his feet at home, followed by an extensive (and assumed-painful) rehabilitation period. But as long as he can endure the pain and remain diligent in his rehab efforts, he should be in good shape for a long time to come.

Please wish him luck.

Good luck, Dad! Get better soon so you can finally get your butt down here and start enjoying your well-deserved retirement!