“A Son’s Perspective,” by Brady Schalich
She could always relate to me in situations and in how I felt. I had very similar characteristics, emotions and overall temperament as she did. Through all of my schooling, she was always there for help, support, unconditional love, advice, and guidance. Our mom was the center and the rock of our family, and she went through this process with the utmost courage and dignity.
After the first few cancer surgeries, she was still everything that she had always been to me. But once she had gone through the rollercoaster of cancer, and after she had the fourth surgery, she became almost “at peace” with how she had lived and raised Sarah and I. Not like she had given up, but nothing “rattled” her anymore.
At that point, reality totally set in for me. I felt that I was slowly losing my mom, but, at the same time, I still thought that there was going to be a cure to save her life and make her totally better.
But still, the whole time that my mom was ill, it was surreal. I kind of felt that, eventually, the whole situation was just going to go away—and that, eventually, my mom would be healthy.
“A Daughter’s Perspective,” by Sarah Schalich
It is very fitting to be writing about my mother, as she was an English major and always had something to say about any piece of writing my brother or I did for school. I can hear her voice: “Remember how to spell definitely,” (which to this day I still mess up), or … “Are you sure you need a comma there?’
I wish she were here in person to correct me.
How do I begin to explain the kind of person my mother was? Besides perfect in my eyes, she always put others first, especially her family. She and my dad did such a wonderful job of raising us with a stable foundation. They molded us into who we are today by making every milestone in our lives very important.
