We were closing on our home in Huntersville on October 31st. So we stayed busy packing to get everything ready for the big move. It felt like forever that we had been anticipating this move. It was strange at times to realize that it was actually going to happen. I knew moving was what God had for our family but I also knew things would be so different. I mean I have always lived close to mom and dad. It would definitely be an adjustment to be an hour and a half away.
During this month many of my mom’s symptoms worsened. And on October 20, our whole world turned on its side. Mom was coming to the house after she went to her doctor’s appointment. But much to my disappointment she called and said she wouldn’t be able to make it. The doctor’s were sending her to get some tests done.
Later that afternoon, she called to tell me that she was going to the ER via ambulance due to the findings on her CAT scan. They admitted her and explained that she had a tumor on the right frontal lobe of her brain that was not malignant but very large. It was causing a tremendous amount of swelling on her brain (which explain the headaches, weakness, dizziness that mom had been having for months prior). They kept her in the hospital with medications to prevent seizures and to bring the swelling down in her brain before surgery. On October 24, mom had surgery on the brain tumor. 
That morning Daddy, Cindy, Jim, Cate, Shane, me, Pierce and Nikki all snuck into her ICU room, to visit. It was such a sweet and normal time together. We laughed and talked and hugged. The kids played, the kids argued, the kids got antsy and wanted to go exploring. Cate gave us a show and sang some new songs she learned. Nikki was so good; she didn’t get fussy and snuggled with grandma. Grandma said she looked bigger than she did at the beginning of the week. Pierce gave grandma a get well picture that had grandma, Pierce and Nikki all holding hands….the funny thing was that Pierce drew belly buttons on them all. 
Pierce of course was giving grandma the 411 on the latest Transformer news. I laid in the bed with mom and held her as we all just visited. Cindy held mom's hand. The son-in-laws smiled on and gave reassuring hugs. Daddy would give love pats, hugs, kisses off and on to mom while also loving on the grandbabies. Mom showed off her babies to everyone that came through the doors. She was so proud of them. We soon said see you later so we could get the kids off to where they needed to be. I came back before mom went back to surgery. When they wheeled mom off, we all gave her love. How strange it is to think back. Although we were nervous about the surgery, the doctors and nurses had seen this type of surgery plenty of times and didn’t feel like there would be any complications. So, our last moments together as a whole family were just a beautiful family time. But as many of you know, this wasn’t really a normal family time. This was the last moment we would all be together until we all meet again in heaven.
When the doctors removed the tumor, they found it was attached to a major blood vessel and the doctors actually had to repair the vessel in order to remove the tumor. Once the tumor completely gone, mom’s brain began to swell even more which was somewhat normal. They kept her under sedation for the night after surgery and the doctors were “cautiously” optimistic. The next morning the swelling wasn’t better but it was not worse. Dad saw her early that morning and although she was under sedation still, she was responsive. She squeezed dad’s hand and at one point, opened her eyes just barely and looked at daddy. Later that afternoon, her status worsened and she never recovered.
So on October 26th, the doctors did a CAT scan and determined that there was no blood flow to mom’s brain. She was no longer with us. The doctor that did the surgery came in (when he was off) and spoke highly of mom and how sorry he was for our loss. He even teared up. We then were given the opportunity and decided that it was only fitting for mom to be an organ donor. Mom lived her life giving so completely of herself we knew she would have wanted to give all that she could to those in need. 
So, there we were, within one week, all that we knew had changed. Words cannot even begin to express how deeply we miss mom. She was the light of our family….and although we are still a family closer than ever, things are just a little dimmer without our mother, wife, grandma and friend.
October 2008 changed everything.
