Last Entry of 2015

It’s been a month since my last entry so I must apologize. I'm sorry. The truth is, it’s been quite a crazy roller-coaster ride of a month and I’m only now able to discuss it. 

It started with a call one late Sunday night/Monday morning from my brother who just got off the phone with a Doctor in India. Why India? Well, my parents decided to go for an extended trip to Japan and India for 4 months! They left this past August and were due to come back before Christmas.  My mother, had fallen so ill, with an infection, that the Doctors there weren’t sure if she was going to make it. 

It was sudden, shocking and surreal all at the same time.  There was no warning whatsoever; I was not ready for this at all. Not now. Not like this. Then things started to unravel quite quickly so both my brothers and I decided to take the earliest flight out we could to be in India as soon as possible. We wanted to bring her back of course; but we had to brace ourselves for the fact that we may not be that lucky. We even had a very painful and honest conversation with my daughter and nephew that they may never see Grandma again. Try having a conversation on death and dying with a couple of 6 year olds. Quite possibly one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do. But it had to be done because it would be cheating if we didn’t and then had to tell them upon our return. Plus, my daughter had seen me spontaneously burst into tears a couple of times already. I wasn’t going to be able to cover this one up. And frankly, I didn’t have the energy to try.

We left promptly upon getting our visas (Tuesday evening) and landed in Kolkata early Thursday morning, with no clue what to expect. Our trip in India lasted 4 and a half days and in that time my mother’s condition and status on her condition changed almost hourly. But she did survive both surgeries and was making a turn for the better. Thank God for my older brother, because he was able to navigate us through the dark, sinewy maze of obscure medical reports and private hospital motivations and conversations. Since he is the doctor in the family, I was telling him that one of the 4 kids of the next generation had to become a physician as well.  It makes a huge difference to have someone who knows this stuff at your side. I don’t know that I would’ve been able to make it otherwise.

Now, we are all home, safe and sound. The entire family spent Christmas together and we will all be here to ring in the New Year!

Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy and happy 2016.