Friday 12 November 2010

And in the end

As I watched her speak, I tried to imagine what she must have looked like in her thirties. Her husband died when her youngest was only six leaving her to raise the three kids on her own.

It wasn't easy she sighed.

And now over thirty-five years later here she sat on this park bench pouring her heart out to me, a stranger.

She has been battling colon cancer for going on nine years and as a result of the chemo, now suffers from osteoporosis and arthritis. Her workaholic daughter helps her get groceries once a week but she hates to bother the daughter unnecessarily so she waits to hear from her. Sometimes it's almost two weeks before this important business woman calls her mother. Her sons both live in Vancouver and run a construction company. They each have a few grown children who also have children.

They're both very busy. It's hard for them to visit. But they came when I was first diagnosed.

We talked until Deaglan was near ready to have a meltdown because I was ignoring him. She had been out walking, trying to get some exercise at her doctor's request, when she saw the three of us at the park. She came and sat beside me on the bench as if we were old friends.

We discussed motherhood, her youth, her kids, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren who she's never met. She told me about a new medication for arthritis she's discovered through a friend of hers who has a computer. She is now almost considered a survivor of this cancer that has been plaguing her. Her philosophy over the past nine years of treatment has been to get up every single morning, bathe and get dressed whether she wants to or not. Then she climbs down the stairs and starts the dishes or dusting. If she feels exhausted with her efforts then she lays down on the chesterfield until she feels better, but at least she is clean and dressed.

I eventually had to pull away and tend to my toddler and infant but I've thought about her almost constantly since. Is this the course our lives eventually take? Do we just end up alone, battling the breakdowns of our bodies and loneliness, without the help of the younger generation we worked so diligently to nurture and raise?


This is a Red Writing Hood meme from the Red Dress Club. There were a choice of two photos I could use as inspiration and I chose this one entitled resigned.

22 comments:

  1. That's kind of sad.

    You see and/or hear of situations like this all the time and you wonder why the children don't help out more, why they don't call, or why they don't visit more often. Especially after all our parents do for us.

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  2. This was a sad story. I was cheering that she survived but sad that she is all alone and forgotten.

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  3. Hey Kim,
    Just catching up on your blog and LOVED the video of the boys. Could they be any more gorgeous?!

    Just wanted to pass along a tidbit I heard about the soother thing... someone said that if you cut the end of it off, they'll lose interest pretty quickly without you actually having to do the battle of taking it away. Now, having said that, Chloe is still sucking her thumb and ruining her front teeth and I haven't made much effort to correct that myself.
    Miss you!
    Shel.

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  4. It's sad when you have to go through pain, fear, loneliness and despair alone. I'm glad that you had the chance to share those moments of connection and discovery together. That encounter between the two of you will stay with both of you in a positive way. That is really what it means to be truly human - being there and listening for another in need.

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  5. I'm not as good a daughter as I should be. I should call my mother more, I should write to her, but the days slip by so quickly. So often, I catch myself thinking, I'll call tomorrow.

    Loneliness is so isolating...so haunting. You did a great job of capturing her sadness, but also showing us her tendency to make excuses for her children.

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  6. Very sad. I sometimes wonder if these strangers and their stories wander into our lives for some special reason.

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  7. Very sad and touching. You wonder what's gone wrong when adult kids disappear from their parents' lives, or if that's just how things are sometimes.

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  8. Loved this - every day we have the chance to touch someone else's life like this. Just to listen to their stories is a gift.

    Well written - you brought me into the story (anecdote?)

    Was this fiction or non-fiction?

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  9. Beautifully written -- even if it is a sad story.

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  10. Hi there -- I'm popping around the red dress writers today.

    This was sweet and sad. We can learn so much from the older generations, but they're often easily dismissed. Not sure if this is fiction or not, but it reads sincere.

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  11. Very well written - like others I was torn deciding if this was fiction or not.

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  12. wow. is this true?
    so beautifully written. You ask important and scary questions. i know as we get older we get busier, but i hope i never take my parents for granted.

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  13. These stories really do exist don't they? it is so scary to be all alone... when at one point in time you could have given up everything for the ones you love. it is touching and sad...

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  14. Oh, my heart is aching for this lady! there are thousands of neglected elderly like her. Your stirring narrative is a testimony to the shameful treatment of senior citizens in our western society. On the flip side of the coin young people are raised to leave the nest at 18, go off to college, get good jobs, start our own families. In moving forward with their own lives, they often forget about where they came from. I don't know what the answer is, but we must do better by the older generations

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  15. Iknow I don't call my mom enough, either. Things have changed alot over the years. Children of older generations are leading busy lives yes, but still should take the time to call or visit their parents. Even if its just for a few minutes. ... Great story Kim ;-)

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  16. Did you exchange any contact information with this lady? It might have been fun to stay in contact with her.

    I used to be a GI nurse - saw lots of color cancer. Always devastating when one of my patients came back positive for cancer. So important for everyone to get screened.

    I bet it was just a breath of fresh air to talk with you and see the kids. T Rex struck up a conversation with a World War II Veteran today - it was quite charming. I think it made both of their days.

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  17. kim, you have a gift! You are a very talented writer.... i think you could really make it in that business. i get lost in all you write...aloways craving more.

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  18. sigh...it's so unfortunate that as people get older they forget those who helped us be the people we are. I'm guilty of it. I need to call my mom...

    Visiting from Red Writing Hood

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  19. This makes me sad. I talk to my mom almost daily. I could not imagine leaving her alone to deal with just a healthy life on her own...your writing here was powerful.

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  20. Such a touching post... and so well written. We get caught up in our own lives, and it's all too easy to not call or check in on loved ones as often as we should or would like. I'm sure the time you took to talk with her made her day.

    On a lighter note... I have not been here in a while... did you get a new blog look? It is great!

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  21. Wow, connection is so important. People are put in our paths for a reason. What a great reminder that I need to be conscious when I am in the presence of others. I can truly never really know how meaningful that encounter can be for another. Glad you were there to listen and support her. ;) Bless you.

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