911 Anyone?

When we were looking for a house to buy, I told Matthew that I wanted to be near a hospital so that if we need to get there, we can get there fast.

Hospitals. Unfortunately, they usually give people a bad taste in their mouth. Filled with germs and sickness, sadness and uncertainty. Honestly, when I hear 'hospital' I think negative thoughts... someone is seriously sick, got hurt or is suffering enough to need emergency care. It's never good to be in the hospital unless you're celebrating the birth of a precious little one.

Last week, my mom went into the hospital. She woke up one morning with severe dizziness and severe nausea. She could not stand up by herself or walk. So my dad called 911 and off she went in an ambulance to the hospital. My dad called my sister and my sister called me and told me about it in the morning. She told me to wait until our dad got back to us to see what was wrong. She thought maybe she was just dehydrated. So I wait.

There is a lot of waiting in hospitals. Waiting for a room; to see a doctor; to get tested; to get test results; for a doctor to explain the test results; to get appropriate medication etc... Or waiting for a phone call.

This new year has started with great sadness:
• A KHA 8th grade student's father suddenly passed away from a heart attack. He was a very involved parent, attended our church and has a wife and two boys ages 13 and 14.
• Another friend from our church, a husband and father of 4 young boys (ages 3-12) has been diagnosed again with cancer, this time it's in his brain and all over his body. His doctor told him to get his affairs in order and spend as much time with his family.
• Two of Matthew's uncles have been diagnosed with cancer; my mother-in-law flew down to visit with her older brothers to support them and share the gospel to them.
• A good friend's uncle unexpectedly passed away in his sleep. 

Now my mom enters the hospital. Overall Matthew and I have been extremely blessed. Other than my uncle passing a few years ago, we have not had any significant health worries.

But I know that one day we'll get that call. A call that will send a shiver up your spine and give you a shock-like look in your eyes knowing that life may change significantly from this point on. Many of us have aging parents. Unfortunately, no one lives forever. And when that time comes, it might not be easy or pretty.

Back to my mom. I didn't hear back from my sister so I called my dad and he said in his broken English, "She's really sick. She's getting a MRI." So I picked up the girls from school, dropped them off at Matthew's office and headed over to the hospital. It was a very solemn time. A time to pray fervently to God that everything is okay; a time to tell yourself, it'll be nothing serious (called denial); a time to reflect on life itself.

Since I have a partial choleric personality, I feel most secure when I am in control and am able to find ways to fix things. I have learned the hard way (especially since having children) that I cannot control or fix anything that deals with your health. That's when I pray.. a lot!

Oh.. back to my mom again. When I got to the hospital, the emergency room doctor was just meeting with my parents to go over her results. What a blessing! You know how hard it is to meet with a doctor in a hospital? You can stay there all day and you never know when they'll show up. She told me that my mom's MRI was clear, her heart scan was clear, blood tests normal. She said she probably had a virus in her inner ear that gave her vertigo and the extreme dizziness caused her nausea. She prescribed her some meds and discharged her out of the hospital.

Whew.. nothing serious and she's A-okay now.... this time. A reminder to not take life for granted.

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