I Lost My 49-Year-Old Mother

My mom was only 49. She was healthy, and on May 1, 2016, she suddenly started getting seizures out of nowhere. It was a fight to get a diagnosis, but we got a glioblastoma diagnosis, and she passed at the end of July 2016. 

I saw a healthy woman suddenly not be able to take care of herself and then pass away in a matter of three months. We were not prepared or ready and had never heard of glioblastoma. 

I was only 23 at the time and ended up having to set up my mother’s hospice stay and funeral plans. My mom was planning on her early retirement from bus driving in the next few years. She wasn’t sick for a long time. Her illness was a shock to the community. This cancer needs more study so other families don’t have to go through the pain that mine is still going through.

TAGGED WITH: #GBMDay

Opinions expressed within this story belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of the National Brain Tumor Society.