A BAD holiday!

[A Daughters Love]

Hi Everyone,
If you wouldn't mind I have a littling venting to do, as I feel my family just can't seem to get a break. My beautiful mother who was only diagnosed with ALS 2 1/2 months ago is going down hill fast. My husband, myself our 2 small boys ( 1 & 3yrs ) and my Dad ( her ex husband, but very supportive ) decided to go on a family trip to Mexico. I had mentioned this in a posting a month ago. We were very excited as we hoped this might help lift Mom's spirits, and it did for a few days. Until we got the horrible news that Wilma was going to hit our resort. We had no idea as it was a beautiful sunny day spent at the beach. We then started asking questions around supper time, when we noticed windows being boarded up. We saw the rep from our tour co. and asked her what was going on. She told us about Wilma and then asked our names. She looked at her evacuation list, and then to my husband and said "I'm sorry, but you were left off my evacuation list". Yes you heard me right, left off the evacuation list! She said she would do her best to get us on a flight the next day, but couldn't make any promises as Wilma was supposed to hit that day. We went back to our rooms and I cried. I was so mad( I now realize I should have been more scared then mad ), all I wanted was for my Mom was a wonderful trip as I knew this would be her last, and it was ruined. We were lucky, the next morning we got on the last flight out before they closed the Cancun airport. We called our travel agent back home from the Cancun airport to let her know what was going on. She was surprised to hear from us as the travel co. had told her we were safe and already in Calgary with the rest of the evacuees the night before. At this point I am just about at my limit. The stress level over those 24 hours was huge! My Mom came home from that trip in worse condition that when we left. Since we have been back ( only 2 weeks ) she has sold her home , and is moving in with us as she is to weak to do everyday things on her own. This will be a big adjustment for her as she was (is) very independent. I have also noticed she is coughing alot and it is very very weak. I know this is a bad sign. Some days, I just don't know how we make it through this cruel punishment called ALS.

God's blessings to you all,

 

[rcharlton]

Hi Michele,

That's a brutal story - I'm so sorry to hear about your holiday - but thank goodness you managed to get out before the hurricane hit.

It would be nice if PALS could carry around a card that would excuse them from any further hardship...or if there was a central office that could be advised that our hardship quota is full up - no vacancy...

A couple of day's after I got my diagnosed - I learned that my best friend's mom passed away. I dropped everything and made the 6 hour drive to visit and stay with him for a while.

It hit him pretty hard and he had trouble talking to people about it. I also learned that he was suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder - and that while his mom was dying in the next room - he was going through a particularly bad episode and could not tear himself away to look after his mom. When he finally did check in on her - she was gone. So he blamed himself for his mom's death - even though it turned out that there was nothing that anyone could have done to save her.

His dad and step brother came up to visit for a couple of days but could not stay for a service - and asides from that he was pretty much abandoned by his family and most of his friends didn't know about it - which left just me. The service consisted of only my friend and I picking up his mom's ashes. His mom's own sister and mother did not even bother to show up.

It was a brutal time for me because I had so much of my own stuff to deal with - but I could not abandon my friend...

The icing on the cake was that when we were rushing to get to the coroner's office before they closed - I got pulled over for a $200 speeding ticket. Some guy was tailgaiting me within inches and I had to speed up to find a place to pull over to let him pass - and BANG - the sirens came out...nothing happened to the tailgater...I did not have the energy to explain to the cop that I had just been diagnosed with a terminal disease, my passenger's mom had just passed away - and that the reason why we were speeding ist that we had to get to the coroner's office so that my friend could get some comfort that he was not the cause of his mom's death...but I guess cops hear stories like this all the time...