The "My Mom: She Was One Tough Little Old Lady" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol was talking on the phone with her longtime friend, Marg, about all of our recent medical problems that we have been experienced.  Telling Marg that I had to stay overnight in the hospital when I had my Cryosurgery for prostate cancer, but was just listed as an outpatient, since insurance will totally cover it that way.  Then we began to talk about hospital stays and my mom's stay at the Lancaster General Hospital when she developed a hernia from trying to lift my dad into his home hospital bed when he was ill with cancer.  

Photo taken at Crystal Beach, Maryland showing my mom
surrounded by family.  I'm standing to her right with my
brother Steve to her left.  Sitting o the log are her sister,
only a year older then me, on the far left and my two cousins.

The resident hospital doctor said she was too old to be operated on for the hernia and they were going to wait until the hernia receded and then release her.  Day after day passed with only IV fluids for mom.  We finally told the hospital they needed to release her or operate. They released her and we found a nursing facility to take her for recovery.  They began to give her soft food and in no time she was gaining strength again.  In the meantime we had home nursing care for my dad and when he found out mom was in a nursing home, he wanted to be placed in the same nursing facility.  Wasn't long before the were in rooms across the hall from each other.  Dad finally succumbed from his cancer and I decided it best for mom to stay where she was getting excellent care.  

Mom sharing her 85th birthday cake with her great grand-kids.

She wasn't too happy about it at first, but did eventually enjoy the many new friendships she was gaining.  Then it hit her again.  While trying to move something in her room, the hernia reappeared.  The nursing facility had her taken to the  Heart of Lancaster Hospital where they operated the same evening and repaired the hernia.  She was up walking around in about eight hours, wanted to be taken back to her room.  So, how do you explain why one of Lancaster's premier hospitals. Lancaster General, chose not to operate while a smaller and less traveled hospital made the decision to operate immediately and made mom's life bearable once again.  If only it had been done four months before, she might have been able to return to her treasured little home with screened-in back porch.  If only Lancaster General had known how tough that little old lady really was!  I think of her often when I look at her paintings that resemble Grandma Moses paintings and how she wasn't afraid to try just about anything.  Yes, she really was one tough little old lady who loved life, right to the end.  Love you mom!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.