All She Wrote: A Year Ago {Yester}day

August 4th, 2011 is a day I had forgotten until August 4th, 2012 was upon us. And then I remembered.

I’m not going to go into the whole story, because we don’t have time! J

Basically, my mom went into surgery a year ago to have a Baclofan pump put in to alleviate the Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. The doctor told us to prepare for great results- less pain, more walking, more movability, less falls, and better control over the spreading of the Multiple Sclerosis. What happened was the opposite.

I think Daddy and I wore the road out between Dallas and Denton. Back and forth, every day, sometimes twice a day, for two weeks. We became friends with some great nurses and nursing students, and appreciated and loved them for everything they did. Our favorite was a sweet young blonde named Courtney. The best, hands down, of anyone ever (and I’ve seen a lot of nurses!).

I didn’t realize that we were in for a season of sickness.

I’ve never seen anyone in so much pain and I never want to again. My mom lost so much strength in the hospital and she’s never fully recovered. Through physical therapy and occupational therapy, she is SO much better than where she was when we first came home from the hospital.

We’ve been blessed with great people in our lives.

Our family members, including our 80 year old aunt who sat up with Rachel and I past midnight a couple times and is constantly making sure we’re fed, to my grandma, who rearranged all her furniture so that we could enjoy Easter at her house, lets us spend a week taking time off from MS, and sends encouraging emails.

Our neighbors who occasionally mow for us, and this summer, they knew we were home alone during a neighborhood fire at NIGHT, and called to check on us and invited us over.

My mom’s girlfriends repeatedly volunteer to and do take her to doctors’ offices and appointments and sit with her so I could get school work done and Dad could work.

We have meals delivered.

Money shows up when we least expect it.

My Sunday school teachers would come do laundry.

When I was busy with Mom and couldn’t pick Rachel up from school, I had an entire list of people who told they could and would.

I had friends who insisted upon getting me out of the house.

The physical therapists and occupational therapists who don’t give up.

The sweet people who offer encouragements to my family.

And our endless, massive amount of prayer warriors. I have no idea where we would be without them. You are a wonderful, beautiful group of people. Whether it was 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning, you always responded when we called.

Through a horrible illness, we’ve been blessed like never before. We are closer than ever. We are strong in our relationships with Christ. We believe this happened for a reason. God still has a plan for us, and this is part of it. I praise the Lord for that. My dad pointed out that this disease is in our lives to glorify Christ, to reach other people. I pray that we are doing exactly that.

Much love, Bethany

We didn't take too many pictures between August 2011 and February 2012. Subconciously I think we didn't want to have a record of Mama at her worst. So here are afew moments of the last year!