Mom grew to love it out there, but something happened and she really started to change her life. It may have been fear but she stopped smoking and drinking and started going to church. I remarried and my husband moved into the house with us because I didn’t want to uproot mom again. He became another son and I can’t even describe the rock he became for me. Mom grew to love him and because she loved yellow roses, he planted a yellow rose bush by the front door for her. Our family was happy. Mom and I still went on weekend outings but now it was shopping, shopping, and more shopping.
Many, many things transpired to make us happy, sad and even sometimes angry, but the relationship with my mom became stronger every day. Then it happened. One morning mom got up and her speech was slurred. My husband and I were sure she had experienced a mild stroke, so I took her to the doctor. He agreed and sent us to a specialist. I won’t go into all of the details, but she did not improve over the next few weeks. Finally, she woke up one morning and could not speak at all and was paralyzed on the right side. We called an ambulance and rushed her to a nearby hospital that was renown for its treatment of stroke victims, which was once again the diagnosis for her symptoms, only this time it was supposed to have been a severe stroke. After many grueling hours, I don’t know how many tests and too many MRIs we were told she did not have a stroke but instead there was a rapidly developing mass in her brain.
While shopping may have been her favorite thing to do, it was not her only interest. We shared a love of crochet, knitting, cross stitch, and many other needlework hobbies. Mom also worked the crossword puzzle in the newspaper everyday. Now she couldn’t walk, talk, read, or do any of the things she loved. The decision was made for her to be moved to the hospice. Even though the doctors were speculating on the treatment that would be best, they agreed that they could not correct the damage, but may be able to extend her life. I chose palliative care and she was moved to the hospice. Mother had always told us she would never want exist if she couldn’t really live.
