My Mom: The Fighter

My sweet mother has been battling cancer for the last four years. She has a very rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that has metastasized from her abdomen to her lungs twice and most recently to her colon. In the last four years she has under gone four extensive surgeries to remove the tumors invading her body. Just when we thought she was in the clear she started having symptoms that brought her to the ER a few weeks ago. She arrived on a Thursday afternoon and was admitted right away when they found a large mass via CT scan. Our lives were turned upside down in a matter of hours and we had a hard time digesting the news. She was JUST fine!!

Because the mass was so large and causing so much pain, my mom’s oncologist and team of doctors wanted her to stay in the hospital until they could perform surgery. Also, because of it’s location she was not allowed to eat or drink! The poor thing lasted four days on ice chips before they finally performed surgery on Monday afternoon. It lasted six hours but they were able to remove the entire tumor. Carter and I drove back and forth to keep her company, cheer her up, and make sure my dad was ok! He is such a trooper too and such an amazing support for our family. We are hoping that this time, the fourth time, cancer will finally leave her alone!

After more than a week in the hospital my mom was able to come home! She is the strongest person I know and always remains so positive during the most difficult seasons of life. My little sister wrote the most eloquent post about our whirlwind of a weekend and if you’re still reading please check it out.

Friday seemed like a normal day. Better than normal, actually. I had almost all my projects done at work. A bunch of people from the office and I went out to lunch together. The weather was nice. It was all adding up to a nice, relaxing weekend ahead. Sometimes when things are just going so right, there is something waiting just around the corner to throw you off.

I didn't know that Friday morning, my mom went to the emergency room to find out that the crampy feelings she had been having was actually a tennis ball sized tumor pressing on her colon. I got the phone call from my sister at 3:00. She could barely get the words out, "Have you talked to mom? She is in the hospital."

A brief conversation with my boss, and I was out the door heading to the hospital faster than the tears started to fall from my cheeks.

Hospital. My mom. What is going on?!?!

I got to the emergency room and found the little room my parents were in. My mom calmly explained that she sat down with the doctor after getting scanned and he held her hand as he said "We found a mass. You need surgery." A mass. Just another four letter word.

They kept my mom in the hospital over the weekend. She had surgery on Monday. Surgery doesn't seem like the appropriate word. It was almost six hours long. It felt like a lifetime. I was able to visit the hospital in the morning before she went in. My mom is the strongest, toughest, most amazing person I will ever know. She was so calm and so brave. My dad, sister, and I were able to follow her right up to the doors of the surgery wing. We said our goodbyes and we all parted ways. I asked my sister as we were walking up the stairs to leave the hospital, "how long do you think it will take the two of us to burst into tears when we leave here." She answered, "immediately."

I was a zombie at work trying so hard to stay focused on each project. It was the end of day and I still hadn't heard from my dad that she was out of surgery yet. I went home, changed, and headed back to the hospital. As I was driving up, my dad met with the doctor. "Everything went well and she is in recovery."

We were waiting for her in her room when the nurses wheeled in her with a warning that she was still very groggy and she was not allowed to get up. The first words out of my mom's mouth were "Can I play tennis?" We all smiled. Yes, tennis is definitely in your future.

My mom was a star. Each day passed with stunning progress. The haziness went away and she walked and talked and had visitors. We're planning on bringing her home soon, tonight or this weekend. As nice as the hospital is, I will be so happy that she can rest in her own bed with non-scratchy sheets.

Who knows what is to come in the future. Radiation? More surgeries? I'm not allowing myself to dwell on that. What is most important is healing. Emotionally as well as physically. This whole heart-wrenching weekend has brought my family so much closer together. We leaned on each other for strength. And the strongest is by far my mom. "Tough as nails," the doctor said with admiration in his voice. My mom can do anything.

Before surgery the nurse said something I will never forget. "Crossing your fingers only gives your hands cramps. Prayer works." God is great. We've gotten through some pretty difficult times and there may be tough times ahead, but I have faith that He will give my family the strength to get through anything as He has in the past.