Ok, I warned you all that I was emotional, so we are just going to have to live with it for the next couple of months. 11,000 tears, right? Might as well share them. This is just a glimpse of what has gone through my mind over these past couple of weeks. Hospital chapels and pews dotted with tissue boxes have a way of putting things in perspective. And this is mine. A couple of years ago, we ran across a picture of Daddy sitting at a table wearing a robe. I had never seen him so informal before. I didnt know he had a robe, I said. And then Mom told me this story. When Daddy had his accident back in 1967, he was taken to Baptist Hospital in Memphis. One of the deacons wives from Daddys church called Mom to see if she needed anything. Yes. He will need new pajamas. His are in terrible shape, and he will be here for a while. My heart skipped a few beats. And then it hit me, again, that Mom didnt know how that story would end. All my life, Ive known this story and how it ends. But she didnt know that. Because she was living it. As a matter of fact, she still is. My grandmother always told me she knew they were in trouble the next day, when they were escorted out of the waiting room with everyone else and taken to a private room where they were told to wait for the doctor. I dont know who delivered the news. I dont know who called Mom to tell her about the accident. I dont know how she got to the hospital, or who was watching us. But Ive always known how the story ends. Fast forward to two weeks ago, some 47 years later. I got five calls in a row from an unknown number. My phone was charging at work, so it took me longer than usual to answer. Your mother has been in an accident, the excited voice of a bystander announced, and is on the way to the hospital. She said she couldnt move her neck. I deduced that she was at least alert enough to give out my phone number, so that was good news. By the time we reached her, she was laying flat on her back in a neck brace, in a great deal of pain. I described her as wiggly and talkative, and she had a terrible time getting comfortable. But to us, she appeared to be all right, considering the pictures we had seen of the car. The CAT scan shows your spine has shifted, the nurse explained in a way-too-pleasant voice, so we are going to keep you a couple of days. I guess I thought of whiplash, and how its fairly common for the neck to be sore following an accident. So I was ill prepared for the words of her neurosurgeon later that evening. Neurosurgeon? You sure are lucky. For some reason, your spine shifted back into place. Thats excellent news, but I cant leave you this way. He went on to describe the blood clot they discovered within the spine, and the intense surgery to insert rods and screws to give her spine the support it would need, since it had been compromised. Paralysis was still very much a concern. We prayed over her before they took her to surgery. Mom, are you afraid? Apprehensive, she whispered, in one of her typical Mom understatements. According to the doctor, she came through with flying colors, and since the surgery, she has continued to pass every reflex test. But nothing has been easy. Tomorrow is Day 14, and she is competing her first week of rehab. Today, she worked on doing laundry, going up a few steps, and making a sandwich. Tonight, she was exhausted. But you know what else happened tonight? My mother got new pajamas. Because she is going to be in there for a while. Did you hear that? Let that sink in for a minute. Granny got new Jammies. GRANNY GOT NEW JAMMIES!!!!! #grannygotnewjammies And we have never been more thankful.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 05:17:23 +0000
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