Significant Event
I was 13 years old when my mother had her first heart attack. It was a cold and gloomy September day when I got home from school to see a note on the front door of my house that read; “ Coop, went to the hospital, had bad chest pains, dad will be home soon”. I didn’t really know how to feel. My mom is a fighter and I knew that, but, I had already watched her beat cancer twice. I couldn’t just sit down and let my thoughts drown me. I couldn’t drive at the time so I called my aunt to come pick me; she was already at the hospital.
I was asked to wait in the lobby, by myself. Of course, I was 13 at the time, but I was as dumb at that age as I am now. I demanded to see my mother because I was her son and I had the right to see her one way or the other. Finally, I get called back to her room, and I can’t even look at mother. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She was pale in the face, with wires and two IV’s hooked on her. She truly looked helpless. For the first time in my life, my mom wasn’t back on her feet as if nothing had happened.
At this point, I’ve used three boxes of tissues trying to get myself cleaned up. I knew I need to be strong for my family. I was the only male from the family there at this point. I did what I thought my father would, which was to be strong and help calm the others as best as possible. It was a role I did under my own power, knowing that would be what both my parents would want. All said and done, my mother had 12 family members by her side. And me, well I stayed all night by her side. I couldn’t sleep knowing that she wasn’t alright.
I tossed and turned all night once I tried to fall asleep. My mother was worried about me sleeping so I figured I would try to get some rest just for her. She should’ve been worried about herself, but being the woman that she is, put others first before herself. There I was at 13, trying to mature a little too fast because I thought my mother needed another man in the house ( she already had two) so I was doing my best. The doctors kept her for 3 nights just to make sure everything was okay. Being 41 years old and having a heart attack isn’t the highlight of someone’s life. The heart attack was the effect of my mother being a restaurant general manager and mother of three children with a grandchild living in the house.
My mother ( just like me) doesn’t know when it’s time to take a day off to let her body rest. She says I’m cursed, I say I was brought up the right way. I never knew how much my mother actually meant to me until I almost lost her. To this day, whether I leave for work, school or just to go out, I hug her and tell her I love her. She is the most important women in my life and I would be lost without her. Often, I forget about this moment and can put her through some hard times, but she always as her arms wide open worrying about me, when in reality, I should be the one taking care of her because she’s done it for me for 17 years. Those four days, have made rethink life as a whole.
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