Life Comes At You Fast

Friday afternoon I got a call from my brother telling me they were going to drive to Rexburg that night, and me and Bennett were invited to come along for the ride if we wanted to. So we packed our bags in under 45 minutes and jumped in the car for Oklahoma. We arrived at Griffin and Ashland's home around 2:30am, and by 3:00am we were all back in their car, driving straight through to Rexburg.

Why the sudden rush, you ask? Well, there is no easy way to really put this.

My mom has cancer.

Needless to say, it was a shock to us all. Rather than write it all out though, I am going to take the easy way out and hijack my sister Courtney's blog post, because it explains it all very well. She is a great writer, and she was here in person while all of this was going on. I will add my own views in as we go.

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As I write this post I am sitting in the corner of a slightly dark and awfully quiet room. My dad is sitting next to me, and my mom is lying in a very deep sleep on the hospital bed in front of us.


Life comes at you fast.

_______________________

Yesterday at this time everything was normal... I went to classes, talked to friends, and texted my mom during Old Testament. She told me to head up to the house for our Thursday lunch. I went, and, of course, ate an unhealthy amount of Eggo waffles as I talked everyone's precious ears off with my pointless stories. A few minutes after finishing, my dad casually sat down and said, "I'm glad you're here because me and mom have something to tell you." Despite his calm approach, I immediately knew it was something bad... and I immediately panicked.

"This morning mom went to the doctor and they found a mass about the size of a clementine in the caecum of her large intestine."

"The doctors aren't positive, but they are pretty sure Mom has colon cancer."

Silence...

Alright...let the water works officially begin.

(When my dad called me (Haley) he said almost the exact same thing in almost the exact same way. I was in the car with Bennett, on the way to get it washed, and I just remember thinking that he must be kidding. I mean, other peoples' moms get cancer, not mine. But once I started asking all my questions--When did they find out? How far along was it? Had it spread, or was it confined?--I realized that this was really happening. I didn't cry. I just kind of went numb and started focusing on the facts instead of the "what ifs." After I had hung up with my dad I pulled into an empty parking space at "The Wash Barn" and called Matt (in the middle of the night for him) in Iraq to tell him the news. And then I cried.)

I was an emotional bawling mess for a large portion of the day.

But that's ok. To be honest, I couldn't tell you why I was such a wreck. Everyone around me was telling me it was going to be just fine, including my mom. But I guess, for me, the tears just come naturally when I am worried.

Worried and frustrated at my lack of control.

Anyway, that all happened yesterday, March 9. The surgery (right hemi colectomy) was scheduled for this morning at 6:00.

It's behind us now, and thankfully everything went well. They got the baseball sized mass (which was cancer) out of her body, and I am now sitting with her in the recovery room... so jealous of her deep sleep and total state of oblivion.

So everything went well, right?

Yes. As far as removing the tumor, or mass, or whatever you want to call it. But that's not the end of the story. According to the doctor, there is still a possibility that some of the cells broke through the walls and spread to other parts of Mom's body. If that is the case, then there's a chance that she will have to undergo chemo therapy treatments.

We won't know until Tuesday or Wednesday, but we are hoping and praying that she is clear.

Please do the same

_________________________

This whole experience was so unexpected, and it all happened so fast. But I can definitely say that in that short amount of time I have been so proud to have these two people as my parents. They are such great examples to me of love and support. I am also happy to see that so many in the community feel that same love for them. I have been amazed as I've watched visitor after visitor come to check up on Mom, card upon card wishing her a sincere "get well soon," and endless phone calls, countless emails, and even a few text messages. It is so comforting to know that both my mom and dad are loved and looked out for by everyone they know. They are always giving service to others, and I'm so thankful to see it come back to them during their time of need. It means a lot.

Right before mom went into surgery, she texted me:

'"You don't need to worry, you just need to have faith"
-Julie B. Beck'

It's quite ironic that she is the one that sent this to me, but it's no secret that she is a very strong women. And I am so thankful for that. There have already been many times when this quote is the very thing that has saved me and my worried self from, once again, becoming a mini Niagara Falls.

I have a feeling that I will continue to remind myself of this quote through this whole process. I am anxious for Wednesday to get here, but until then, there is no time to worry, just time to have faith that everything will work out...

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So that's the story. We are now in Rexburg, spending time with my mom in the hospital and helping out with things at home while she is away. And even though the reason we are together again is not the most fun thing in the World, it is still great to get to see everybody. I'll do my best to keep you all updated on what's going on with my mom and with us being here in Idaho. As of now Bennett and I have no definite return date, so we'll have to see where life takes us.

Because that's the one thing you can count on in life.

It's always a surprise.