I want to thank you folks for the overwhelming kindness you have shown me today. (Edit)

[A HERETIC I AM]

Last edited Thu Jul 31, 2014, 03:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Edited to add the following link to my final post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5317495
Re: this thread;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025310623

I want to tell you what has happened.

As CherokeeProgressive mentioned, my mom did indeed have a massive, hemorrhagic stroke at some time during the afternoon on Monday. Technically a "Cerebral Vascular Accident with Displacement". A blood vessel burst in her brain forming a hemorrage so severe as to displace a large portion of her brain to the opposite side. I saw the CT scan slides and the hemorrage is enormous, approximately 56 millimeters (a little over 2 inches) across and roughly 15 millimeters thick. Basically a whole lot of blood where it shouldn't be.

My sister who lives in Chicago calls regularly to speak with mom and tried as usual to reach her around 3 PM monday to no avail. She called back repeatedly over the course of the next hour and a half before becoming alarmed, as they sort of have a schedule of when the best time to call is, and the fact that she didn't answer was way out of the ordinary.

So my sister called moms friend across the street who has a key to the condo and asked her to go and check on her. The neighbor found my mother between the couch and the coffee table, on the floor, eyes closed and totally unresponsive. I gather this was about 5:30 or 6ish. We really have no idea how long she had been laying there.

I was up in Pontiac MI, covering new business for our firm on a temporary basis (I live and work out of Jacksonville) and my sister called me at 9:30 PM telling me that "I think Mom has had a stroke. Can you get ahold of your brothers please?" (I have two older brothers and then my sis - I am the youngest of 4)

I was able to do that and also get ahold of the ER doctor where the EMS crew took her. She used the term "Severe Hemorrhagic Stroke", gave me some other basic info and mentioned she was being transferred to another facility nearby which has a better neurological department.

Now I am 1300 miles away, one brother is 45 miles away but unemployed and out of cash and the other is 200 miles away on his way back from a road trip/vacation. The driving gig I had coming up left Pontiac Tuesday at 4 AM and arrived in Atlanta, where my car was parked, at 7 PM

To shorten the story, I got down here at 5:00 Am Wednesday after being in the sleeper bunk for the first 400 miles, then drove the truck 290 miles and my car 580 miles.

My mother is for all intents and purposes no longer with us. She is still breathing, but has no response at all to commands and only reflexive response to pain on one side. Her eyelids do not flutter or move in the least to any kind of stimuli.

Per her instructions regarding such a situation, a directive to give no extraordinary measure was placed and her respirator was removed. It is just a matter of time before her body stops functioning.

My mom was born in January, 1929 and as such, had her early years during the height of the Great Depression. She voted Republican most of her life as far as I know, but I feel she became disgusted with the party during Reagans era and was most assuredly a liberal, progressive thinker when it came to social issues.

She was Episcopalian and attended Episcopal or Anglican Services on 3 continents, 2 Pacific Islands and at least 4 states as she traveled with my father and his various posts with the US Government.

Janet was a gentle woman, deeply loving, very caring, filled with a sense of humor and a love of literature. She was my momma.

I am quite frankly overwhelmed by the kind thoughts and words expressed in the thread I linked above. I have read each and every response several times and I want you all to know how deeply moved I am by such an outpouring of kindness.

Thank you so very much.

My mother on her wedding day to my dad, who passed away 14 years ago, also of a stroke;

This was taken Oct, 1951