Monday, May 11, 2009

Going Back to Where I Came

I'm leaving in about 3 hours to travel to Upstate NY to be with my Mom. She was diagnosed with cancer 5 days ago. I am on a leave of absence at work since I don't know how long I'll be there. I started my leave on May 7th. Today is May 11th. I swear to you these past 4 days have been the longest days of my life.

I had to co-ordinate my flight based on a number of factors. First, what flight can we get on short notice that flies direct from Mpls to Alb? Not only does it have to fly direct, it must be on Northwest. Not only does it have to be a direct flight on NW, but it has to be paid for with my Mom in Law's frequent flyer miles. And on top of all that, this magical flight has to land in Albany between the hours of 3pm and 5pm. Why? Because my Uncle has a conference in Albany that finishes up between those times and he will be picking me up from he airport and driving me to the hospital. For those of you who don't know, I don't drive. I mean, I am physically able to drive and hold a license from the state of MN, but I haven't driven any sort of distance since 2003. The thought of renting a car and driving the 2.5 hours to my Mom's house was making me more nervous than the plane ride. I hate flying.

I don't have details at this time as to what kind of cancer my Mom has, how bad "bad" is, how big the tumor is, and what course of action her Oncologist is recommending she take to have it removed. I know radiation and chemo are in the works; I just don't know when it will start.

To be perfectly honest, I'm dreading this trip. I've never traveled by myself before. I've also never been away from Phillip in the 6 years we've been together. I think that will be the hardest part. I'll miss Lola and all my friends here, too. I know I won't be gone for more than 3 or 4 weeks (although this can change at any time), but it seriously feels like forever.

But I need to help my Mom and be with my family right now. My sister needs me and my help (she's planning a wedding for November!) and my grandparents need someone to help them get to and from the hospital (I can handle that driving as it's not very far from their house).  I just have to get through the next couple of hours and I'll be in NY. 

Then I have to take things one day at a time.

4 comments:

SBH said...

I'm so sorry to read this. My thoughts are with you, your mom and your family. Please keep me/us posted.

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Honey Bunny said...

hey SBH,

once i get time, energy, and patience, i will make a post with updates. right now, i can barely wake up in time for work.

SBH said...

HB,

Don't forget to take care of you, too. I know it can be rough. Hope things are OK.