I lost my mom three months ago on June 16th. It was very unexpected as she hadn’t been sick at all. She had went to the doctor the day before about a pulled groin muscle that was really bothering her. She got a shot of a muscle relaxer and some antibodics and went home. Later that day she called me. She had been asleep and I told her that her tongue sounded thick and she said she could tell it. I didn’t think anything about it and told her I would talk to her tomorrow.
Well, my sister-in-law called me at 5:45 a.m. the next morning to tell me that she, my dad, and my brother were taking my mom to the emergency room twenty-eight miles from here. She was having trouble breathing, couldn’t swallow, and was complaining she was cold but when you touched her, she was hot. We figured it was just a bad reaction to the shot she got the day before.
About thirty minutes later, my sister-in-law called back and talked to my oldest daughter and my husband was coming home to take us to the hospital. I got really nervous, then I couldn’t figure out what was going on. When we get to the parking lot and stop my sister comes to the car and as I get out, she tells me that mom is gone. I just started screaming and my knees went out from under me. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way she could be dead. Well she takes me and my family where my mom is and I start saying Why? Why? Why? No one said anything and then we go to where the rest of my family is. It was just awful; I was in shock and numb.
The day didn’t get any better. We left the hospital and went to my sister’s house for a little while then we left there and went to my parent’s house. I couldn’t go in the house as my mom was no longer there. I finally did; I went through the front door and right out the back door and started crying. I’m doing better now but sometimes it’s a struggle as she wasn’t just my mother but my best friend. I didn’t realize how often I called her.
We found out from the autopsy report that she died from viral pneumonia. Something we didn’t even know she had. Sometimes just talking to a friend gets me through the day. But what happened to my mom changed me as know I realize how precious life is and you never know when it’s your time to go. So live each day as it’s your last and treasure your family.
