Sweet Lady (Mother's Day)
On this Mother's day (and truly, every day) I think about how grateful I am for my mom.
The nights after my father's sudden death, I was riddled with insomnia. He died in the middle of July. The heat was swelling from first thing in the morning into nighttime. There was hardly a break in the heat, either. You can see the buzz and light from that kind of heat. My mom watched Conan with me and we got to laugh. I actually go to laugh in those sleepless nights. Sleepless and fatherless. But my mom stayed by side.
Two years ago, I got a call at work. My mom was unconcious. I drove to the Yale ER to find out she had two aneurysms. The prognosis was grim. The odds were stacked against her. They said 40 percent of people don't even make it to the hospital with her condition. They told us the breakdown and it was in threes: 1) She could make it 2) She would not make it and 3) She would make it but would basically be on machines for the rest of her life. She was quickly transered to Neuro ICU. I stayed that night in the family room, trying to sleep. It reminded me of that summer my dad died. I couldn't sleep. I paced. But there was no one there to watch Conan with me or hug me when I burst into tears.
My mom's brain surgery was an absolute success. She had to learn to walk and drive again. She went back to work. There are some setbacks- she has a third aneurysm and has pain in her legs and body especially when it rains. But overall, she's floursished.
My mom, my sweet mom, is a warrior. This year I'm walking in the 2nd Annual Connecticut Brain Aneurysm Walk on June 3rd. Live in CT? Join me! I'm raising funds which all go to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation which is a great place for families, survivors - for anyone. There is so much information, advocacy, and they provide a great community. I'm proud to walk for a great foundation. Any donation would be so very appreciated. If you have social media, even sharing this link helps. Any funding and awareness helps.
