Mark Howe on father Gordie: 'He's got his sense of humor back, his personality back'

NHL legend and Mr. Hockey himself Gordie Howe had a dark, difficult summer battling health issues. Howe is living with dementia and spinal stenosis, the latter causing debilitating pain.

"He had a very bad summer," his son and fellow Hall of Famer Mark told The Detroit Free Press. "Weekly, I would send updates to my brothers and sister and my dad's friends, let them know. ​It was pretty discouraging, pretty disheartening. If the surgery didn't help, and he didn't respond to it, then ... it wasn't good."

Gordie underwent outpatient surgery to relieve the pressure on his back, which got him up and moving again.

"I talked to him about a week ago, and he's got his sense of humor back, his personality back, so I'm pretty encouraged by that," Mark said.

Gordie continues to battle dementia and suffers from "mini strokes." He had a seizure Sept. 10. Mark is learning to accept his 86-year-old father's declining health, though Gordie is still fighting. "Things are progressively getting worse for him, but I can live with that, that's part of life."