had intended to write here on a weekly basis, but life happened and spring and summer flew by just like the title of this blog, "In a Blink of an Eye".
Shortly after my last blog post in April, my mother was told her lung cancer was back and with a vengeance. It had metastasized into her shoulder bone, lower back and chest area. My sisters and I, along with my mother searched for answers and second opinions which lead us to the Lancaster Cancer Center. (www.lancastercancercenter.com/) My mother moved in with my family in an apartment that we had built in our basement and chemo treatments began.
My sisters and I planned a birthday party for my mother for July and invited anyone who had ever been in her life. It was a great turn out and my mother was very happy to see so many people whose life she has touched in some way. We gathered together a scrapbook of written memories and pictures from everyone at the party and those who could not make it to give to her for her birthday.
Since all of my sisters and I were all together in one location, we posed for family portraits with the daughters and grandchildren,minus husbands. (my sisters' idea, not mine)Chemo Treatments continued and my sisters and I searched for ways to make special moments and memories with mom. We planned a trip to Cape Cod since mom had mentioned that she had always wanted to go on a real clambake. I took control of the planning and tried to make it as fun and memorable as possible by stopping by silly road side attractions or odd touristy places. You can read about it here: http://funfamilyroadtrips.blogspot.com/2013/11/mother-daughter-trip-to-cape-cod-bsoton.html .We did have a great time and laughed a lot more than any of us had in a very long time, especially together, but mom grew tired very quickly and we worried for her health.
After we all arrived home, we continued chemotherapy along with numerous blood transfusions due to low hemoglobin.(I say we, but really it was just my mother enduring the treatments) Halloween Came and went as well as our first annual Halloween party and Dr. DeGreen ordered a new scan to see if chemo was stopping the growth. Unfortunately, the cancer has shown to be a rapid growing cancer even with the treatments. After discussions with the doctor and family, mom decided for her own quality of life, she would stop treatments.
We've recently moved her upstairs into the family room to be closer to everyone and hospice has begun to come almost on a daily basis to help care for her.
We have all gone through so many pre-grieving emotions; anger, sadness, depression, denial and everywhere in between, sometimes even all in one day.
As we move forward into Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are trying to remember to make every moment count and last a lifetime.
