2008 is not a good year for Mothers

For those of you that know me, you're already aware of the interesting family life I have had starting in November. The short version of it is that my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia and she died at the end of November, just after her 86th birthday; her daughters were there with her and she had a beautiful memorial service a few weeks later. Many people have said that they would like to go quickly the way that she did.

The drama on my side of the family was even more interesting. My mom was diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis earlier this year. She was planning on having surgery in 2009, but events moved the schedule up to November 11, Mom had a stroke the next day, and has spent more time recovering from the stroke and hospitalization than the heart surgery. She has recovered well, moving from Intensive Care to Cardiac Care to Acute Rehab at Rochester General and finally been reunited with my dad in an assisted living facility in Penfield. She is doing great at this point, and they are looking forward to moving from their house to Cloverwood, a retirement independent living complex in the adjacent town.

Mom had been discussing relocating to Cloverwood for over a year. But the events of the stroke and uncertainty of her recovery, as well as the fact that does have a few minor deficits, caused the timeframe to move up. They are planning on making their move at the end of February.

I'm looking forward to 2009 being an easier year.