Another Challenge: Mom’s Decline
In early April, I was torpedoed into one of the more dire challenges of my life. My mother was rushed to the hospital. She had been coughing for weeks. That morning she collapsed on the sofa, wanting nothing to do but sleep. When the ambulance came, I was relieved because I thought she’d finally get treated. Little did I know that this was the end of my contented normalcy, the start of one of my worst nightmares.
For a person without cerebral palsy, who could walk and talk, this experience would have been more manageable. They could have gone with their mothers to ER, called nurses to check on their statuses, and sat by their side and held their hands. I couldn’t do any of that. I had to depend on others to call for me and to take me to see her.
For hours after Mom went to ER, I didn’t know how she was or what they were doing to her. Worry and fear grabbed at me, causing me to feel numb. My girlfriend finally texted me saying Mom had double pneumonia. My friend asked the nursing practitioner and nurses to text me. One nurse texted me for two nights. Then the nursing practitioner gave me occasional reports. She claimed Mom showed improvement, was eating some, blah, blah. Then my aunt called nurses daily. My aunt is the type of person who takes things at face value; she doesn’t question what she hears. The nurses would tell her that Mom ate and was sleeping. I…
