Friday, March 10, 2006

Happy B-Day To Me... Sort Of.

# 41.

I wish the day was happier. Mom is in the hospital in Washington, scheduled to have double bypass surgery today at about noon today. This is her second go under the knife, the first being a triple BP in 1986. She is 74, and has a number of other health issues such as diabetes to complicate things, so of coarse I'm worried. I wish I could be there, but my sister and brother live nearby and are giving plenty of help and support for both her and Dad. When Mom and Dad lived in Fallbrook, CA, 327 miles away from Fresno, I would drive down to help when they needed me or had an emergency. Now that they live in Washington, 900 some-odd miles away, and Mary Beth and Jeff live close by, my role in caring for them is diminished. That's not quite the right way to phrase that, but It's as close as I can come to explaining things right now. If I fly up today I wouldn't be able to contribute much or stay that long, and she would be laid up the whole time. Mom would rather I come for a visit when she is back on her feet so we can do stuff together, like go shopping at Fryes or go to one of the tribal casinos. I am going to take today off and finish replacing the head gasket on my car, a project I started a month ago. That should keep my mind occupied and keep the worrying at bay.

I love you Mom and you know what I want for my birthday.

UPDATE: My sister called last night to let me know that the surgery went well. I am very relieved. I got the best birthday present I've ever wanted.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mike, My thoughts and prayers are with you and your Mom, for what they are worth. I know firsthand what it is like to have a parent go through this and not be there for them. Few can imagine the difficulty.