I'm Baaaack

I used to post to this blog quite often, but hung up my blog hat for quite a while. There is a reason. . . . or rather several reasons.

My dad died suddenly in July. He was in the hospital for a blood clot in his foot, which later developed in his lung. There were also other complications. I was on my way home when my brother called to tell me that he didn't make it.

I've also been dealing with the steady decline of my mom over the past 2 years due to Huntington's. If you don't know what Huntington's (or HD) is, consider yourself blessed. It's a neurodegenerative disease that affects every part of your being or in other words, the 3 M's - mood, memory, and movement. It's been described as having Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Schizophrenia all at the same time.

My mom is a fighter, but the progression of the disease has been steady and drastic. Her progression is atypical according to things I've read or others I've heard from. I really think my mom was holding out until after I made profession in October 2008. Before that time and during the profession, everything seemed normal. When I went home at Christmas, it was like night and day. It was a drastic change in 2 months - probably the same progression some would have over several or many years. It's been tough. She continues to decline. She sleeps a lot, her speech is slurred, and she forgets things. Facing reality is difficult, but we know she can't keep living the way she is.

My mom is a nurse, so is used to doing for others. She's also extremely stubborn, which has helped her get this far. It has also helped her to raise a stubborn kid, and I'll count any similarity to my mom as a positive thing. I pray, however, that my mom will let go of her stubbornness and allow us to help her.

All of this reminds me of the lesson my mom always taught me growing up. Anytime anything didn't go the way I wanted them to, she'd say, "Now you know how it feels. Now you know what someone else is going through." Now I know what it's like to have a parent die. Now I know what it's like to care for a parent whose health is declining. Now I know what it's like to have to look into other living options for a parent. Now I know what it's like to live far away . . . . . the list goes on.