Living for his grandbabies!

In celebration of World Health Day 2021 and of Jeff Traudt being named "World's Best Papa" (by his daughters! CONGRATULATIONS, YOU DID IT!):

Here are a few pictures of the greatest dad and papa on the planet:

My dad's dad died in a car accident one month after my dad turned seven.  The middle of three kids, my dad was suddenly the oldest male in the home. From that very young age, he has been a caregiver to his mother, his siblings... and more recently to my mom, me and my sisters, our husbands, our babies, and a large number of friends who are down on their luck. If you're looking for "JT," you can find him seeking out and supporting the underdog.

We have about 1,381 family videos at my parents' home, and in each one-- dating back to when his own children were babies-- you can hear my dad proclaiming a cheery hello to his (then non-existent) grandkids. He wanted to be sure that, even if he were not here to meet them or watch them grow up (as was the case with his dad and his three daughters), they would know how much Papa loves them. 

My dad is now currently fighting his third recurrence of kidney cancer, and the tumors have spread to his spine, his partial and only remaining kidney, and three other organs. He is down to 140 pounds but is otherwise feeling quite well. It is a true miracle for our family. When we learned last April, two weeks after my third daughter was born, that his cancer was back, both of my sisters were in their second trimesters of pregnancy. As the disease had progressed so far, we didn't know if he would have the chance to meet his newest babies-- grandbabies #6 & 7 born in the last 4.5 years-- in the fall.

And here we are four months into 2021. The newest babes are big and thriving and just mostly obsessed with their larger-than-life Papa, as are the rest of us. My sisters and I live away from our parents now, but we are sure to be with Nana and Papa as much as possible, and they come to us every few weeks/months. We are truly blessed.

Darn Covid is preventing him from playing tennis and skiing for the time being, but it can't keep him from loving on his babies, walking on his hands, and loving life with every ounce of his being.

Thank you, Papa, for gifting us with your unending love, care, and JOY! How did you get so great?

And let's hear it for Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Center and, in particular, the wonderful Dr. Moshe Ornstein and his team. We are so grateful for the care Dad is receiving!