How Having Surgery Changed My Life

Around the age of 5, going to doctor appointments was a normal occurrence . I would even look forward to it, spending time with my mom. I will always cherish those times that I spent with her. Those appointments eventually lead up to the surgery that would change everything. During that surgery, the doctor had created a hole in the mesentery lining, tissue that connects organs to the wall of the abdomen. This hole eventually became larger causing many organs to fail. We brought my mom into the ER where she was brought into surgery. This would be the first time my mom would die. Although the years that followed were better, my mom continued to have regular doctors’ visits that I would often tag along. During my seventh grade

When they got to the hospital we were moving, my mom to a different room until she could come home; her one wish was that she wouldn’t die in a hospital. That night my aunt, sisters, and I left to go home ,so we could clean and get the house ready for my

The night after my mom came home, my parents, sisters, and I watched one last movie together. It was great, spending time with my family, but most importantly with my mom. I will cherish every minute I spent with her. My mom loved to cook for people, and she had wanted to do it one last time. She sat in her wheelchair chopping potatoes and peeling eggs with my niece, making her infamous potato salad. After eating, my grandma rounded up all four of us girls, my nieces, and my mom to take a few pictures together. Over the next few days, we took it easy. I went back to work. My mom was getting worse as each day went on with a few good days in between, of course. We ended up moving my niece Lexi’s birthday up a few days because we wanted to make sure my mom would be there for it. She, my mom, couldn’t talk as well anymore, but she made the effort to sing for her granddaughter. The day before my niece’s actual birthday, my mom passed away. Her wish had come true, too. She had wanted my dad to be the only one in the room when she went. As my family planned the funeral over the next few days, we began reminiscing about our time with my mom. This made me realize that I never take any of the time I spent with her for granted and I will cherish every moment I had with