Personal Narrative: How My Mom Changed My Life

Since I was a kid, I had a ton of responsibilities, cleaning up after myself, doing chores, managing to not fight with my brother, although we fought all day everyday, but you know, it happens. One thing that I didn't know wasn't normal was parenting your parent. I go to school do all my class work and during recess and lunch I listened to all the other kids talk about going to the park after school and eating dinner together with their parents. When I got home from school, I had to do my homework and then take care of my mother. Bring her things she needed such as food, water, help her with many other simple everyday activities. Of course I wasn't the only one who was her “little helper” as she put it, my dad helped her and my older brother by two years,

It was near the end of winter 2005, when my grand-aunt suddenly fell ill. In a short period of time her illness worsened and the doctors informed my family, my grand-aunt only had a couple of months to live. The news was devastating to my family as we watched a vivacious, independent, and outspoken woman, who enjoyed shopping, reading mystery novels and spending time with family become very weak and confined to her bed. Instead of placing my grand-aunt in a hospice facility, my family and I, with the assistance of a hospice nurse cared for my grand-aunt in her home until her passing.

That day when I returned home from school, my mom’s boyfriend called me asking to speak to my grandmother. Typically, Gus would call my grandmother himself if he wanted to speak with her, which was rare. I found out about my mom going to the hospital from my grandmother after that phone call. The doctor told my family that a stroke afflicted her in the middle of the day. My mom confused the date with her birthday, had trouble getting words out and remembering our family member’s names. The nurse had to take her for walks periodically and exercise her legs and arms because they were weak. Seeing my mother in this condition made me appreciate my mother and everything she does for me tremendously. However, I was terrified for my mother’s health.

An ambulance came and carried out my mom. I didn’t know what was going on, so many questions running through my mind, what was wrong with her, was she going to be ok. I was scared, more scared then I had ever been. My sister Sheridan who was 8 asked me “what’s happening?” through tears. On that day a little piece of me began to change because if I let her see my fear that would not help anyone, and so even though I didn’t know what was happening I responded “everything is going to be ok” even though I did not trust my own words.

Becoming a mother changed my life in a very profound way. Due to my own upbringing, I was

I wanted to interview someone outside of the healthcare field because I feel that we are “trained” to deal with death and the dying differently. I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I feel that now that I understand death and dying more because I am a nurse; my thoughts and feelings would be different from before I was a nurse. So, that brings me to my mother. When my grandfather was sick her and my grandmother decided to keep him at home and have hospice come to the house weekly to care for him outside of what they weren’t able to do themselves. They kept him home until the day he passed away and my mother was beside him every day. He had Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

What is your story? What kind of challenges did you overcome? There are things that happened to me that not many people really know about, I was abused by my older sister when I was a young child. But that didn’t make me a bad person, it made me a better one. I treat people with respect and kindness, I help my family with the things they need, and I take care of my brother. I still always make time for myself, to draw, to write, for anything really. But I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if these things didn’t happen.

My Mom, Dad, and younger brother survived. If it's not medicine, my family would not have lived.

Eight years ago my mother was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, the most common form of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affecting up to 85% of the MS patients, with twice as many women being affected as men1. It was a very difficult period for her as she had received very little support from her family and I find it fascinating how she managed to withstand the pressure and fight her condition despite all the odds being against her. For these reasons, I composed a poem from my mother’s point of view to try to empathize with her experience and understand the underlying issues of her condition. To have a sound foundation for this poem, I have carried out a

She lost her leg, has had two major heart attacks, and a stroke. Around that time the doctors instructed her to start saying her goodbyes. Her heart was going into congestive heart failure, and was pumping only 20 percent of the oxygen that it needed to be. Then I met Jesus. At youth one night, I received Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Over the month's I took care of my mother and the household. I slowly started praying for her, and to find out her heart was regaining function. The doctors were in total awe at her recovery. She was able to see me walk across the stage, and get my diploma. As I grew up, I learned, everything that happened to me in my childhood served me a great purpose. Even though I still act childish from time to time, and have a lot of room to mature, I believe it was my childhood that makes me the man I am today. As I graduated I had somehow was blessed with a second family over time. As I got involved in church and they became my second family. The worship leader is my father figure and his son is like my brother. Mr. Johniee (my father figure) has adopted Ruben and I. He treats us like his sons. We are sort of a trio known all of

One day my dad came home from work. He looked really upset and didn’t seem like himself. Him and my mom told my brother, sister and I to come to the kitchen because they had bad news. “Kids, your great grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer yesterday.” My mom told us with watery eyes. “Yeah,” My dad started, “We just found out this morning.” This was very upsetting and depressing news for my family and I to hear, but we all got through it together. We did this by going to see him as much as we could, even thought he lived three hours away from

Struggling to open my eyes, I see a groggy image of my mom going around my room, turning off the lights, and putting my favorite blanket on. She sits on the edge of my bed and puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Go to sleep." she whispers, then gently steps out of my room, closing the door behind her. My mom does nothing but care for others. As a mom of four, she's got a lot on her plate. Yet that doesn't stop her from making me feel like the only person on Earth the matters. She's a nurse and makes all of her patients feel the same way. One of my favorite people to be around is my mother which is why she is my Michigan hero.

My abuela has always been my second mother, and I didn’t realize how much she meant to me until she was diagnosed with Lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes. No one is prepared to watch someone suffer. I certainly wasn’t. It seemed as if I spent a large portion of my sixth-grade year in waiting rooms, anxious to find out if any of the many treatments were working. I knew that hope was going to be an imperative characteristic, and I lost it all on March 1, 2014. The family started to arrive at the hospital, and my Tia Sori played her favorite songs as we all sung along, including my abuela. Tata, her husband, was outside bawling. He told us he didn’t know the woman inside, and that she has already left us. When he finally came inside

At the young age of six, I found myself caring for my mother in a faded pink garage, we called our home. My thirty-year-old mother laid on the floor groaning in pain unable

Throughout my life, living with my mother whom has had several health issues i’ve had to be there for her through so much. I’ve had to play the role of being her advocate, her supporter and a shoulder to cry on. In a weird way all her health issues were almost a bonding experience. It definitely made us closer as mother and daughter. Without my mother I would have never chosen the medical field as my career path. I always thank her for helping me make that big decision in my life, because even as an LNA, I love what I do and can’t wait to expand my horizon.