5/13/12
I hadn’t been feeling well the weekend that my mom first came down to visit
me at college. For no obvious
reason, I was throwing up like it was my major.
By Sunday, I was so sick that my mom took me to the ER. Fast
forward 12 hours, and my appendix was removed and multiple tubes protruded from
my body. A simple appendectomy became more complex after my appendix decided
to wrap itself around some other appendage.
My doctor told me this was the reason I experienced years of pain and
discomfort including one previous trip to the ER over prom weekend. Through
it all, my mom was at my side sticking it out with me. She slept down the hall in a tiny room and even
had to help me shower (which was probably equally embarrassing for both of
us). Her job at the time only gave her two precious weeks of vacation
time, and she wound up burning a week of it with me at the ever-charming Bloomington
Hospital. She actually worked a second job at the time, and had to
put that aside as well. Five days later when I was finally released, it
was an extremely warm October night littered with severe weather watches and
warnings. Despite both of us having limited night vision, my mom somehow
navigated the three hour drive home through the darkness and thunderstorms in
my 1985 Firebird (with faulty windshield wipers). Tornadoes ripped through
southern Indiana that night, yet no matter how bad the weather was, she just
kept driving. For more than three hours
she drove until we eventually made it home.
The whole ordeal sticks out as one of hundreds of shining examples of my
mom’s unconditional love. It sums up what I’ve been so very fortunate to
have all these many years: a wonderful, caring mother who always put her
children first, and poured all she had in order to take care of her
children. I love you, mom. Happy Mother’s Day!
