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Life, interrupted
Submitted by Michael Fielding on Sat, 03/13/2010 - 7:42pm.
Six years ago, when I had moved back to Chicago from Minnesota and I was unemployed and sleeping on my parents' living room floor, life was looking a bit shaky.
I had a massive student loan debt, no regular income and no solid job prospects. But it was kind of nice - if only for a brief time - to be back at home, like when I was younger. One of the most enduring memories from that time was the day my nephew - the first grandchild for my parents - was born.
My siblings all rushed to my parents' house, and we packed into two cars to head up to the hospital. It was eventful because (on a small scale) my Saturn turned over 100,000 miles. But more importantly, a little five-pound boy was the newest family member.
We all took a family photo in the waiting area, cigars in pockets and crinkled visitors stickers on our shirts.
After the visit we all headed back to my parents' house, where we puffed away on cigars and gorged on Pop's Italian beef (hot AND wet, thank you very much).
It's different this time around.
This past week began with an alarming phone call from my buddy Mark's wife early Monday evening. It turned out he had two arteries blocked - one 100% - and he didn't know it until he began having a heart attack just after midnight.
His chest burned, his arms went numb, and he was laying on the floor before he decided that something probably wasn't right and alerted his wife, who immediately took him to the hospital.
His long-term prognosis is yet-to-be-determined, but overall he's alright. Still, even if you don't know the guy, stop by his Facebook page and wish him well. After all, it scared the crap out of him.
Then, within 12 hours my mom was undergoing a procedure at another hospital having a cancerous lump removed from her breast. Of course she had known about this for a few months, but the procedure itself still carries its risks - and breast cancer is, after all, cancer.
Meanwhile, the weather Monday and Tuesday was chilly, rainy and dismal, contributing to my somber mood.
But by Thursday afternoon, the sun came out, and shortly after 3 p.m. I received a text from my brother-in-law that my sister had just had their second child - a seven-pound baby girl.
I left work a few minutes early to rush home to pick up my wife and take her out to the hospital to see my sister and my new niece before heading to my parents' house nearby to see my mom for the first time since she was released from the hospital. And all the while I still hadn't heard from Mark, whose doctor gave him the bad news that he was unable to reach one of the arteries and that he'd have to see another specialist ... or undergo bypass surgery. What a week.
It's always been incidents like these that have made me appreciate life the most. The irony of birth and near-death occurring to people so close to you just a few days apart left me speechless.
But it also left me in awe of how quickly life can change and how important it is to surround yourself with people who love you.
My mom, tough & stubborn German she is, has decided that she wouldn't let this change her life. In fact, unlike many cancer survivors, she hasn't vowed to stop smoking or change her diet. She's also not about to don a pink ribbon or "walk for the cure."
In fact, her attitude is that she's going to continue enjoying life. Period. Which really makes a lot of sense when I think about it, especially having experienced these highs and lows of life in just the last few days. You don't know when your time is. You can't plan too much.
You just have to enjoy life, have worthwhile friendships, be good to your family, be hopeful and pray.
Any more than that, and you're probably just wasting your time.
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