The long good bye

Mom as a child

My mother passed away last night after a long battle with the horrible disease of dementia.  So many times, I wished I could have talked to her about my journey with cancer, but she was beyond understanding when I was diagnosed.  Perhaps that’s for the best.  She didn’t need that worry.

Mom started to decline in 2011, about a year before my diagnosis, and it’s been a process of stages of saying good bye as we watched her slowly slip away.  The long good bye.

But, there are many wonderful memories, including the last time I saw her.  Paul, the boys, and I visited her at her assisted living home, and she knew all of us, even cracking a few jokes.  It’s times like those that I will focus on to carry me through this difficult period.

Mom’s obituary can be found by clicking here.  We’ll be traveling back to my hometown in South Carolina early next week for the funeral.

Thankfully, this is week 3 of my treatment cycle, so my energy levels are pretty good.  I have my follow up PET scan on Monday, when I’ll find out how effective the six cycles of chemotherapy were.  Even if the scan reveals good news, I suspect I’ll still be prescribed some oral chemotherapy, like tamoxifen and/or megace, to be proactive in keeping the cancer at bay.

That’s all the news for now.  I mostly just wanted to share about my mom.  She was a great lady, and I will miss her beyond measure.