By Amalgamate on 23:45:23 09/22/16
Hey all,
I've asked for prayers for my Mom in the past and I wanted to share an update. She's been battling cancer for about 14 years. She's about coming to the end of the road. They discontinued cancer treatments and the only thing keeping her alive at this point are blood transfusions to make up for the bleeding she's suffering internally as a result of tumors throughout her body. She's decided that today will be her last transfusion and that this next week may very well be her last with us. I humbly request your prayers as we face the reality of life with out her and as she prepares for transition from this life to the next.
I also wanted to share a letter I wrote about/for my Mom in hopes that it will encourage you to express love unabashedly to someone in your life.
"It’s hard to express in words how much my Mom means to me, but even though I know she knows, I want to get these words out before she’s not here to read them.
Time and memory is a funny thing. My Mom loved me before I even really knew who she was. Even when I was finally old enough to know who she was, those memories have long faded. So Mom is someone who, for as long as I’ve lived, has loved me unconditionally, supported me and held our family together. I may not remember every moment, every home cooked meal, every fresh baked apple pie, every hug or conversation on a drive home from school – those moments are something I feel in my soul – interwoven into the fabric of who I am.
My Mom has been fighting cancer for about 14 years – fourteen. The past few years have been especially hard with the variety of treatments, hospital visits, and complications. But thanks to the support of my Dad, the doctors, her unwavering faith, and being TOUGH as nails, she’s been able to experience a very good quality of life. In those 14 years, she’s seen two of her sons get married and gotten to experience the joy of her 5 grandchildren. My boys love their “Nana” and it’s heart wrenching to know that they’ll live so much of their lives without her in it. I’m so grateful they got to know her and she got to know them. Their lives have been made better by the love she has shown them and while memories of her will eventually fade, we’ll make sure they know how much she loved them and how that love has helped them become who they are. Ultimately, life on earth is fleeting. We make an impression here by how well we love others, and by that standard, Mom is leaving a legacy. The love I pass down to my sons is in part learned by the way I was raised and the love that Mom showed me.
In the midst of the sad reality that our lives will be without such a wonderful person, we rejoice that God has given us a way to Him. We have so much to be grateful for, not the least of which is our hope in God and an eternity with Him. “My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).” So while we do say goodbye, it’s not goodbye forever, it’s goodbye for now. Speaking of being grateful, it’s somewhat surreal that I even have time to write something like this and share it with my Mom before she moves on. So many don’t have a chance to express their sincere appreciation for the special people in their lives before they’re gone and I thank God that I have this opportunity.
Did I mention that Mom is strong? Like – superhero strong? Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted all the time we’ve had to spend with her since her initial diagnosis – but seriously, that’s not by accident. She’s had to endure major surgeries, radiation, years of chemotherapy, blood transfusions and countless other procedures. Through it all, it was never a question of if she would get back to normal life, it was when. I think in some ways we fail to appreciate just how strong Mom is. There were never any cancer walks, ribbons, shows of solidarity – just Mom being brave with Dad by her side. Cancer hasn’t stolen her joy or her mind, and it certainly can’t steal her soul.
I know this is kind of a long rambling post. It’s been a while since I had to write anything that didn’t involve P&L’s and balance sheets, but we could all benefit from taking time out of our busy lives to express our love and appreciation for the people in our lives who mean so much – even if we’re not that good at it. Thank you, Mom, for being such a great MOM. I hope you’ve lived without regrets knowing that you’ve lived a great life and made a difference in the lives of so many people. We love you so much. See you soon in this life or the next."