Mother I Miss You

In September of 2005 we were getting our things together for the move to our new home.  Packing, changing utilities, forwarding our mail, all that good stuff.  On September 15, Mom had an appointment with her doctor to discuss some test results she was getting back.  Turns out she had breast cancer.

This was a major blow.  Mom had a lot of problems stemming from her addiction to cigarettes, obesity, diabetes, and other medical ailments she had.  This made her fight even more difficult.

Dr. Einhhorn, Mom’s oncologist, began an aggressive treatment regimen that involved weekly chemotherapy sessions.  These treatments were long, painful, boring, and worse of all made you physically ill.  Not to mention the fact that your hair falls out.

At the time this was going on the song “Skin” by Rascal Flatts was getting a lot of air time on the radio.  However I want to state here and now for the record that what Jill and I did was not related to this song.  It was an original idea.  We had not heard the song when we decided to shave our heads in honor of Mom.  OK, back to the story.

Mom had a mastectomy in March.  She outwardly seemed to be doing well; sadly you should never judge a book by its cover.  The cancer was relentlessly spreading through her body and due to its weakened state from years of mistreatment it was unable to fight back.

By July the cancer had spread to her heart, lungs, liver, and even to her brain.  On July 11, 2006 I went to her room to ask if she wanted anything from the grocery store.  She had been asleep for pretty much 2 days.  When I walked into her room, I knew something was wrong.  She was breathing very loudly, but it wasn’t a snore.  When I called her name she didn’t respond, I shook her, she didn’t respond.  Mom had neuropathy in her feet which causes lots of pain like walking on cat litter, or your feet being constantly half asleep, so I squeezed her feet with all my strength, and still she did not respond.  I hollered for Jill and told her to call 911. Mom was in a coma.

The EMTs took Mom to the hospital, and they somehow revived her.  Mom was not happy. She yelled at the nurses because they needed to take her temperature… her core temperature.  I love Mom.  Even in a state such as this she can kick ass.  Even giving a nurse a black eye.  Unfortunately, I had to call my brothers and sister, the time was coming.  We had to say our goodbyes.

They all came in. Tim from Tennessee, Tammy & Bobby from California.  We brought Mom home, made her comfortable, and waited.  Mom was pretty with it for about a week.  We talked, laughed. cried, the whole range of emotions you expect.  Jill & I however had already come to terms with what was going to happen.  We weren’t prepared because you can’t be prepared for death, but we were aware that it was coming and we had accepted it. On July 25, 2006 at 3:47 PM Central Standard Time the world said goodbye to Mary Helen Hays Rodifer, a one of a kind woman who now sits in Heaven watching us all make fools of ourselves, and laughing at our stupidity, knowing we will know soon enough the truth of what is to come after our flesh is gone.

1. A Small History Lesson	2. Congratulations It’s A Freak
3. The First Five Years	4. It All Goes Up In Flames
5. School Daze	6. Say What?
7. A New Hope	8. Becoming A Sophisticated Redneck
9. A New Beginning – Literally	10. Back Into the Fray
11. They Like Me, They Really Like Me	12. 10011001
13. Let the Music Heal Your Soul	14. Taking My Sister to the Prom
15. My First Love, My First Broken Heart	16. From Zero to Hero
17. Livin’ On a Prayer	18. Moving On
19. Going Full Circle	20. The Rockford Files
21. Faith of the Heart	22. Partner, Friend, Lover, Wife
23. Turns Out She Was Right	24. A One-Legged Bear
25. Another Victim of the Game	26. Payin’ Bills with my Skills
27. A New Revell-ation	28. A New Page, A New Day
29. R We There Yet?