My mom, my best friend, my angel

I was 15 when my mom got sick. She had a terrible headache which she thought was sinus and after multiple trips to doctors and even a psychiatrist because all the doctors told her she was fine, finally she saw a doctor in Hattiesburg, MS. Who diagnosed her with bone spurs in her neck. She had surgery and little did I know my life would never be the same. She woke from that surgery and was not herself. She was talking nonsense and was acting off. They then decided to do a cat scan and they found my mom had a brain tumor the size of a grape fruit. They took her to surgery the next day.

It was an exhausting ten hours, but I thought after that she would be fine. Well, she did chemo and radiation, but for the most part I had my mom back. Fast forward a year and another tumor grew in the same spot. They removed it and placed chemi wafers in her brain. (They had to remove half of the right side of her brain in the first surgery.)

For a year and a half, things were great. My mom was doing awesome. Even growing her hair back. I never thought she was going to die. Then a nightmare started. When I was 17 almost 18 she had another tumor. This time in the middle of her brain and there was nothing that could be done. So for my senior year of high school I not only had to worry about school, a “social life”, but I also took care of my mom. I fed her and changed her. I gave her shots because she became diabetic because of her meds. I am so thankful she was able to attend my graduation. Sadly, she passed when I was 19. I am now 36 and everyday I ache for her. I miss her so much. She was my everything. Life is so not fair…

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