My mom was a wonderful, but a stubborn, woman. Around October 2007, she got this awful cough. We badgered until she went to the doctor. Now, I like this doctor, but he let’s his patients diagnose themselves too often. Mom came home with antibiotics both times. She told him that she felt she had bronchitis. After the second round of meds didn’t work, we made her ask for a chest x-ray. Well, several x-rays and MRIs later, she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer after Thanksgiving.

She was very positive and so was I. I didn’t know at the time she was already at stage 4.

She began chemo on December 15. By January, she was really sick. Her left lung was filling with fluid over and over again, she developed blood clots in her legs and right lung and she spent all but 3 days of January in the cancer ward at Monongalia General Hospital. She couldn’t have been in a more caring and loving place.

In late February/early March, we were told the chemo wasn’t working. The oncologist told us there was a pill we could try, but the side effects were horrible. Dad and I had questions, but he couldn’t ask the most important one, so I did. I asked at this stage will it really help or should we let nature take it’s course? He was very honest. He said she may get a few more months, but they’d be hell. He said he’d let nature take it’s course if it was his mother.

We made the hardest decision ever and mom passed away, at home, in her sleep on April 24, 2008.

It took me a long time to write this because it hurts so much. My birthday is October 17, my first without my best friend, my hero, my Mama. If writing this can convince even one person to quit smoking, that’d be the best gift ever.