Growing Pains by Arcel Cunanan, Part 2

 

Let’s see…where did I leave off?

“A cerebral aneurysm, what the hell is that?” Those were my thoughts at the time.

In short, it means the wall of an artery in my mom’s brain bubbled out and filled with blood. That very morning, the bubble ruptured and caused blood to leak into her brain.  

The survival rate of a person who is suffering from an aneurysm is unpredictable. The hospital staff called us in one by one to see her. I went in last, because I was afraid. As I waited for my turn, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.

I broke that promise when I walked through the blue doors of the ER and saw her hooked up to all types of machines. I looked at her, she looked terrified. I kept wishing I could help her and how it should have been me instead.

She cried as she told me to take care of myself. I ran out and broke down. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew she was leaving me.

Doctors and nurses were preparing her for surgery when my mother’s aneurysm ruptured a second time. The operation had to be performed immediately. My family and I sat, ate, slept, cried and prayed in the waiting room for nearly 12 hours while we were all wondering what was going on.

Finally, the surgeon came in and told us to go into another room. I knew about that room – they take families there to give them bad news. We all held our breaths when the doctor began to speak.

My mom lost more than two gallons of blood and had a massive stroke on the right side of her brain. She died on the operating table, but only for a few seconds. The doctors were able to save her.

We all cried in both sadness and relief. My mom was okay…for now.