20 years ago today, my mother passed away very suddenly from streptococcal pnumonia sepsis that may have been caused by having her spleen removed as a treatment for ITP when she was 18. ITP is an overactive immune disorder when a persons own immune system attacks their own white blood cells as a disease. Removal of the spleen lowers a persons immune system so that this doesnt happen. As far as I know, removal of your spleen is still a treatment for ITP. Mom almost died when she was 18 until they figured she had ITP and removed her spleen. Some MDs believe she should have had periodic numovax shots but others question the shots validity... especially after 15-20 years when she would have had to have another one (2nd one is not thought to be as effective). She was only 48, a school teacher, and seemingly in perfect health. She thought she had the flu, called in sick to school, and passed away around 11:00 AM. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was working at Blue Cross of CA in Woodland Hills, CA when I got the call. I had just talked to her Sunday about what we were going to do when came home for Christmas in a few days. She said she bought me spaghettios and ravioli. I laughed and said Im not a kid anymore. She was buried on Saturday December 24th, and we woke up on Christmas morning to open all the presents she had bought for us all. She got me a Tom Petty CD and tricked my brother with a video tape that said To: The Graduate. He had just graduated college and we thought it was that movie. When he opened it, it was the movie Its a Wonderful Life. Whenever I hear Tom Petty sing You belong among the wildlowers; you belong on a boat out at sea. You belong among the wildflowers. You belong somewhere you feel free I know shes talking to me. I also think she was telling us all that it is indeed a wonderful life. She enjoyed life. She could light up a room, was always laughing, and treated her friends like friends and enemies like enemies. Lol. Her face always had color. She had 2 small lines above/between her eyes when she looked stern. I used to push them when I was little and say dont do that - make them go away. I wanted her to be happy, not mad. If she ever cried I always cried too. She was very proud of her kids and was a born mother, raising some of her younger 5 siblings. She didnt have much growing up and used to ask if Id give her money when I was rich. I would say, well Ill give you as much as youve given me as a kid. And shed say oh shiiiit the way some of you may know. She didnt like boring or mean people and had a big heart for those she loved who were struggling. She was teacher of the year several years in a row at St Johns for which she was very proud (the students voted). She would beg/coerce me to come to her class when I was visiting at Christmas as a mystery guest and I would make 6-sided snowflakes with the class. She tutored kids in reading and loved to read, drink diet Pepsi and lay in the sun. She had naturally curly hair just like Peppermint Patty and would say it like that. She loved to talk to people. Unless it was before she had had her morning coffee. In that case beware. Just making eye contact could prove fatal. She loved to bake and made great desserts. She was an ok regular cook but had some mean casserole recipes. After she died we found out from some of her students that in religion class they would ask her how did she know that heaven was real. She had been telling classes for years, well after I die if you smell chocolate chip cookies baking... youll know that there is a heaven... and that Im ok. She was famous for her choc chip cookies and would bring them warm to her class on special occassions. I grew up without much. We had $5 converse allstars when all the other kids had fast running shoes. I had black rubber boots that we had to use bread bags over our shoes when almost all the other kids had boots you put your foot with sock in. I had to wear my uncles hand me down clothes that were just out of style for the time. But my mom did love her kids and made us feel that. Mom was very very fun and we all liked to just spend time with her. I would go shopping with her and endure that just to go to lunch with her. She would always tell us to be nice to the outcasts at school and would say things like maybe they dont have a mommy or daddy like you do. She taught us compassion. She was some peoples only friend, but she had no patience for mean people who pulled crap. She wouldnt put up with it and would stay away from them. I was in 3rd grade when she went back to school to finish her degree in teaching and go back to work after having us. I remember her crying at the dining room table doing homework because it was hard. I went in and hugged her. She said youre really smart. Can you help me with this math? I think it was algebra. I looked at it and said if its math why are there letters? She said Thats a great question! Before if could read, I would get out dads hermes typewriter. I would type a bunch of letters separated by spaces and then ask her to read it. Was does it say?! Nothing she would say. I said no, read it! Sound it out! And she would try to pronounce all the jibberish on the page and I would just howl laughing. I really miss my mom and its hard at this time of year... up until the 20th every year. After the 20th (the date of her death), I feel a peace come over me, which I believe to be a blessing from the Holy Spirit and Mom. I believe strongly in God and know that there us a plan for my life and yours. I believe in a God that is accessible to us that we dont need a preacher to go between. I also believe church is a great place to talk to God and listen. Many people pray, but few listen for that still small voice. Thats Him. Mom was a mom to me, my brother and sister, her brother and sisters, my nieces and nephews and all the kids who passed through her class. She was a class act who showed me that it wasnt your bloodline or wealth that instilled class in someone... it was a persons chosen behavior and treating others as equals. (Unless they were really annoying or bad people. LOL) Rest in peace, Mom. I love you.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 22:36:12 +0000
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