Mom was diagnosed with Stage 2 Colon Cancer in October of 2006. This was found in early October and she underwent surgery to remove the mass on October 31, 2006 (yes on Halloween). The cancer had broken through her colon wall and therefore she needed several rounds of radiation. She started radiation around the middle of November 2006. She did very well but towards the end she started struggling. In February of 2007 she was readmitted to the hospital due to what they termed "setback". Basically at this point her body was so weak that she could barely walk. She spent 21 days in the hospital and then was transferred to a nursing home where she regained her strength in her legs and was able to walk again.
In April of 2007 Ryan and I found out we were pregnant. My mom did great in rehab and was able to go back home. She continued to do good until June of 2008. At this time she was walking across the living room of her home in West Monroe and her leg gave out on her. She fell and broke her hip. They immediately performed surgery on her to repair her hip and after being discharged from the hospital she was sent back to rehab for 90 days. After this 90 day period she was unable to return home as she was not able to walk due to weakness in her right side and her repair.
This was very hard for her. We, as a family, made the decision in September of 2008 to move her over to Shreveport. After lots of phone calls and research, Ryan and I took off a day in September and found her a new home. We LOVED the place that we looked at and were hoping that she would too. This was very hard for her as she had lived in her home in West Monroe for over 20 yrs. Here we were moving her 90 miles away from her friends, church, home and 2 of her sisters that she is really close with. In December 2008 we sold her house and that was very emotional. We spent several weekends cleaning, donating, and packing up that house. While we were glad we were able to sell it, we were also leaving over 20 yrs of memories behind. There were times that I would just sit in my old room and have to fight back tears.
Can I just tell you how AWESOME my mom has done with this move? She took to her new place like a duck to water. They love her and she definitely loves them. I can hardly reach her during the day when I call her b/c she is busy playing BINGO, doing crafts, getting her hair and nails done. Just something every day. It makes me so happy to see her so involved. We were told last November that she has a pretty severe case of Congestive Heart Failure. She has been in and out of the hospital at various times over the last year due to fluid build up on her lungs. They gave her 6 months to a year last November and even though we are not to November yet, she is doing remarkably well.
One of the main "selling points" we used to persuade my mom to move to Shreveport was Lexie. I made sure to tell her how much I wanted her to be near us to see Lexie grow up and it has been priceless. This little girl loves her Mimi so much. Every time we get in the car and get NEAR a place that looks like my moms, she busts out with "Yeah! We are going to Mimi's". We see Mimi at least once or sometimes more a week. Mimi comes to our house and lounges around with us and Lexie shows off for her. You know, b/c that's what 2 yr olds do for their grand parents.
We make sure to take Mimi with us when we do fun stuff like the circus and Sesame Street Live. Today was no exception. We picked Mimi up and took her to the circus with us. This picture is priceless to me. Ryan and I were getting Mimi's wheelchair out of the back of the truck and I came back to see Lexie sitting right beside Mimi in the truck just "chatting" with her. It just melts my heart to see the love she has for Mimi.
While I know that Mimi will not always be around, I know that as of now we are just enjoying life and making tons of memories with her.
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