As I look around my apartment, I see the semblance of a Museum Ode to My Family. Among the memorabilia, I have my dad's cowboy hat, 1950s radio, and bowling pin trophy.
I have boxes of family photo albums that were rescued from my dad's apartment the day we cleaned it out. I have my grandma's quilt, glasses, robe, and flower shoes.
A special treasure is my bronzed baby shoes that were on my parents' mantle.
Oddly, I don't have anything of my mother's. I'm not sure why that is, but I do have pictures like this one I keep on my nightstand.
Twelve years ago today, my mother was receiving one of her dialysis treatments at the center she went to three times a week. Grandma took her since Daddy worked and I was in school.
At approximately 7:00 pm, my roommate at the time came running into the Baptist Student Ministries event I was attending. She told me that my dad had left a message on our answering machine (the days before cell phones) that my mother had been taken to the hospital and I should go down there.
I was not overly concerned because my mother's health had been poor for five years, and the hospital had become a second home. She went in, and then she always came home.
My friend, Zandra, and I drove to the hospital. My father and grandmother were at the ICU, and told me that my mother had a heart attack while at dialysis. She had gone about 8 minutes without oxygen to her brain, and they weren't sure how much damage had been done. The doctor was asking us whether or not we wanted to file a DNR.
That's when I knew this was a hospital visit like none of the others.
I went in to see my mother. It was very disturbing. She was in a coma. There were lots of tubes, and blood kept dripping from her nose. Mama wasn't there.
We decided to file a DNR.
We spent that night in uncomfortable chairs in the hospital.
The Sting
1 day ago
2 comments:
Pegs, The pictures are awesome. I love that you have your Grandma's glasses and robe. Those are the treasures that matter so much more than the things of any $ value.
Thanks for sharing your stories with us. It's strange to think I've probably learned more about your family through these posts than when we lived together.
PS - You look exactly like your mom.
Peggy, thank you for sharing. Love the pictures...your friend is right: you look just like your mama. :-)
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