My previous posts have detailed the diagnosis and decline in mums health. Ive also posted about her last visit south. This will tell you about my mad dash home after the docs announced there was nothing else they could do. It was the 30th December. My sister, Sharon was at my house visiting her new born nephew. However she was flying back today. another lot were arriving from Scotland to spend new year with me. My eldest sister Cindy, her husband and my nieces. I was going to have a little party at mine to bring in the new year which is tradition for us Scots! Just before my sister was due to set off to the airport my dad phoned her mobile. He told us that mum had a chest infection, nothing to worry about but the doctors wanted her to go into the hospital just for monitoring. We were a little upset but didnt worry too much as it was only a chest infection? People get chest infections all the time dont they? My sister flew off back home and I prepared for the visitors. I rang my dad that night and he said she was going to be kept in but not to worry as they were keeping a close eye on her and she was in decent spirits. We had our new year party, not as lively as normal and some us were a upset over the course of the night, myself especially being hormonal still! We even phoned my dad at 12am to wish him happy new year and he seemed okay so we were still fairly positive. I had never heard of Motor Neurone Disease and have never experienced any relatives being sick or hospitalised. All the info on the internet said that my mum had 3-5 years so I didnt for one minute think this was her last new year, this was her last few days. I, like most of us thought she would get some antibiotics and return home when her chest cleared up. On the 1st of January at around 2pm my sister Sharon rang us. She was very upset and we couldnt understand her at first but she calmed down and gave us the dreaded news. The only words of the conversation I could make out then and remember now were that there was no hope. There was nothing they could do. I remember handing the phone to my niece and telling my husband and saying how the hell can there be no hope? Shes only got a bloody chest infection for gods sake? People get these all the time in winter? Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks and I broke down. I think we all did, although I was so distressed I cant remember it clearly, not even now. There was a lot of crying, even some shouting and when I went back into the kitchen my niece had hung up the phone. And we all just stood. Quietly for a few minutes and then I think it hit us all again and we grabbed hold of each other, 4/5 of us all in a huddle in my kitchen. Completely devastated and helpless. Then practicality took over and we said we have to get home, we have to go and see her, we have to be there to support dad and we were then frantically running around packing things into the car and sorting out the babies things, remember I had a 3 week old! I remember packing a lot of crap that I didnt need, yet I didnt pack any clean underwear! I sorted out for my sister in law to have my 2 year old and within the hour we set off. That whole hour is still a blur to me. And I have no idea to this day how I made it to Scotland alive and in one piece! There was a very heavy snow storm at one point and it was raining and windy the whole way up. My sister followed in her car behind and we were both travelling as fast as our cars would go! I was crying all the way there and yet I was still saying this cant be right? Its a chest infection? The doctors were all wrong! My mums a fighter and shes going to be okay. I think this was the worst part of the whole ordeal. Not the diagnosis, not her peaceful passing and not even her funeral. The worst part for me was that phonecall and the realisation in those few hours that followed that my mum wasnt going to be okay, and she wasnt going to get out of hospital. This was it. We did arrive in Scotland and all rushed to my dads and from that minute on all focus was on him and making sure he could cope. It was too late to visit her so we all decided to get some rest and we would go to see her first thing. The truth was of course that my mums chest infection couldnt be helped by antibiotics alone. She needed her body to fight too. She was far too weak and her immune system was shot at. If you or I get a chest infection our brain tells the muscles to cough mucus up or swallow it down. My mums muscles had weakened to a point that they couldnt do this and her brain didnt transmit the message. Her lungs filled up and draining them was only prolonging the inevitable as well as making her suffer. So as my sister had said in that first initial phonecall, there was no hope and nothing they could do. Please sponsor my climb, give whatever you can. It is so important that we find a cure so that families dont have to experience the heartbreak that we did. You can text MNDS51 then £amount to 70070 or visit my just giving page. Thank you. For mum x
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:27:18 +0000
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