Story time. “It’s Happening Again”
When my dad’s first wife died from a brain tumor, he became very depressed. Her passing happened suddenly. He became a young widower with six kids to raise on his own. Once the people supporting him returned to their “normal” lives, he developed a practice to bring himself some semblance of peace. He’d stop at her grave every day on his way home from work … to talk. For weeks this went on. But as I mentioned, he had six kids to take care of … to get home to … that reason propelled him forward.
When mom died, times were different. He didn’t have anything to keep him in this world. He couldn’t drive to the cemetery every day to have those conversations. He was’t physically able or I think he would have. Instead he became very depressed again. He stopped showering. He was barely eating.
Dad was able to muster the strength to go to Mass every morning. Only a small group … less than 10 were in daily attendance. The gang would go to breakfast after church. In particular, he struck up a relationship with Irene. In short order he began to shower again and look forward to the next day. We got my dad back for eight more years. They married when he was 82 years young :). I credit her with saving his life. She gave him companionship and a will to live.
Fast-forward to 2020. My mother-in-law fell for the first time. It was February and we could still go out. We were at the Rosary of a dear friend’s mother. I remember her being so embarrassed. She blamed her tumble on the slope of the floor.
We’re in March. We got the 2 am phone call for help twice in a row. She went in for tests, they changed her medication. She was back to her feisty old self. This was temporary.
Marking the time. The day was Monday 7/20/20. Lulu and I were taking our walk. As we passed the brush pile/rabbit hutch, we saw PoPo standing on his back porch. He was looking toward our house to see if B’s truck was still there. He told us “Mary fell again”. Pony works from home so Lulu and I ran back to get him to help lift his Grandma back up.
She had split her lip and hurt her shoulder. EMS came whisking her away … alone. Thanks to Rona no one could go with her. After head CT and shoulder X-Ray, they sent her home in a sling for her broken shoulder and a next day appointment with orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon diagnosed setting the shoulder had a 75% chance of success. But no surgery needed. A blessing.
Lulu spent Tuesday night staying with her grandma while PoPo attended to getting her a wheelchair and other items suggested by the doctors. Things sucked, she was in pain, but we thought Mary would be okay. We were wrong.
As always, more to come.
J-Dub's Grin and Bear It 