My life is full of waking up when I want (unless I am going to work), and going to bed when I want. Eating if I feel like it. Napping if I want to. Going to a movie on a whim. Taking a day trip, and spontaneously staying over if that's what I want to do.
Nothing or no one governs my behaviour, except me. I truly have a selfish life. I'm pushing 40 and I am living the same life I did when I was 23.
There should be some sort of segue into my next point, but I am too lazy and lethargic to create one.
I don't know how my sister does it. She was engaged, bought a house, was married and had her first child all within a year and a half. She had brutal complications with her delivery (hemorrhaging) and was rushed to a larger hospital and was separated from her daughter for just under a week. She recovered from surgery and struggled with anemia. A year later, she got the green light to try again. They did, and they were blessed with a son within 10 months. More complications, but not as bad as those she had with Avery. Fast forward to when the kids are a year and a half and three and a half years old. She's diagnosed with cancer. She had MAJOR surgery to cut out the tumour and was in the hospital for a month. She continued to recover at home and then had to start a regimen of chemo. So far so good, right? Wrong. A year later, she's diagnosed with more cancer - this time with a poor prognosis. More chemo, radiation, CT scans, MRIs........appointment after appointment. Low blood counts. Fatigue. Possible clinical trials. Changing oncologists. Alternative treatments. Daily cocktails of morphine, and more drugs to offset the side effects of each other.
All the while, waking up each day, putting on a happy face for the kids, making sure they are fed, changed, dressed, bathed, sent to school, in community sports, etc. Cakes are baked for birthdays, thank-you cards are written to friends and family, gifts are wrapped, games are played. Smiles are created for friends, family and those in the community. She regularly goes on Facebook and makes smart-ass comments on everyone's profiles. You'd never know that she was feeling like garbage as she typed them.
Life goes on. She finds no time to feel sorry for herself.
Our father was the same way. Throughout his life he battled tuberculosis, polio, almost losing his fingers from an accident, insulin- dependent diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure.... you name it. He didn't work outside the home from the time I turned 15. He was in and out of hospitals my whole life. Never once did you hear him bitch or moan about how he was feeling. Not once.
Laurelle is a chip off the old block. She had bunions on her feet when she was 9 years old for fuck's sake. Surgery and casts on both legs up to her quads. Who else do you know that had bunions under the age of 50? She had glasses, acne, and braces as a kid/teen. Her life has NOT been easy.
Yesterday she had an MRI appointment. Today she went to the hospital to have fluid extracted from her abdomen. I'm not just talking about a little fluid. Enough fluid to make someone look like they are 7 months pregnant.
I really don't know how she does it. I'm amazed by her every single day. Completely and utterly amazed.
2 comments:
I've never met her, but I have to agree, your sister is amazing. Anyone who can cope with those kind of health problems and keep a smile on their face for their loved ones is something special and rare.
I agree. Amazing is not a word I hand out easily to describe people but your sister sounds incredibly strong and someone I would look up to if she were my friend or sister!
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