Me and my Parents

[rpp]

When it rains, it pours.

My brother “P”, who had moved in to help with Mom is heading home tomorrow. So it will be back to me and my Mom.

But the real news is worse.

My younger brother Tom has lymphoma, cancer of the lymph system. It appears to be fairly advanced. He had surgery yesterday, and they have learned that it has spread throughout his chest, and both sides of his neck. He also has a tumor in his thigh.

My little brother lives in Anchorage with his girlfriend. While she says she is going to stick with him, I am dubious about her commitment to him. I told Tom that if things get too tough for his girlfriend, that he can move in with me here in Oregon. He would, of course, have to transfer his medical care here, but he at least he has a place to go. (My home seems to be quickly turning into a hospice.)

I urgently ask for your prayers for my brother; for his conversion, for peace and consolation and, of course, for his health.

 

[Brenda_V]

Prayers going your way and that of your brothers!

Brenda V.

 

[rpp]

It appears that my brother Tom is far worse than he first let on. His cancer has spread and he is in Stage IV lymphoma and it has spread to his bone marrow.

My Mom and I are planning on visiting him as soon as we can arrange it.

Yet my Mom’s knee problem makes it hard for her to get around.

Please pray for my brother Tom’s conversion.

 

[Brenda_V]

I will pray indeed for your brother’s conversion.

As for your mom’s knees, can she use a walker to help?

Brenda V.

 

[rpp]

I will pray indeed for your brother’s conversion.

As for your mom’s knees, can she use a walker to help?

Brenda V.

My mom is pretty much stuck in a wheelchair until her knee heals.

I want my boring life back.

 

[Ma.Eugenia]

Condolence, rpp.

I will be praying for your dad, who had died.

It is good that you show love and care for your family by being with them at a time when they need you most. I think you are a good son and brother.

Keep praying and trust in God’s love for you and your family. Pray also for the conversion of your sister and her family.

I will be praying for the health of your mother and brother too.

God bless!

 

[Brenda_V]

My mom is pretty much stuck in a wheelchair until her knee heals.

I want my boring life back.

You just say you want your boring life back.

Did I miss something? Did your mom have knee surgery? If she did then she probably should be getting some physical therapy to help the healing process actually. If not, let me tell you my Grandma (God Rest her soul) was wheelchair bound the last years of her life and she could be a holy terror in it too until she became senile and totally bed bound! She could go anywhere in her house and pretty much anywhere outside that she wanted to - she didn’t stop baking or cooking or canning until she started to go senile at the age of 90 and then her children had to put her in a nursing home because it was not safe to leave her alone at home - she would turn the stove on and leave a pan to boil dry, or put a towel on top of the turned on stove - once she went to the nursing home she was bed bound too and one of her daughter’s worked in the home and we visited every other weekend as did one of her other sons (the rest lived too far away to do so).

God will Bless you for giving up your boring life to do this!

Brenda V.

 

[blessedtoo]

Just found your thread and wanted you to know that I will pray for you during this time of painful challenges.

I feel like I just went on a long journey with you and your family. I even had a “mental picture” in my head of what your parents look like!

And it pains me because I suspect I will be in a similar situation very soon.

Mom is 82 and Dad is turning 80 this week. She has dementia/Alzheimers and he has a heart condition.

They live in Florida and I am in Seattle. I will go there soon to help my sis care for them.

Like you, I am relatively unattached. My son and daughter-in-law live here in Seattle, and I will agonize about leaving them. But there is no question that God is calling me to care for mom and dad.

I pray that God will give me the grace and patience to bear the pain of watching my beloved parents prepare to go home to God. I pray that He will give me the heart of a Mother Theresa when I feel pushed beyond all human endurance. I will pray these petitions for you as well. God bless.