Overcomer: Update on Kate

My mom has had a good life. That's not to say that she hasn't experienced trials during her 83 years of life because she has had more than her fair share. My mother was a faithful woman who always put her faith in God even though she was raised by a man that did not appear to do the same. Simply stated, though, Kate is an overcomer. She was the 9th born out of a family of 13 during the Great Depression, and survived the Dust Bowl Days. As a young first time mother, she should have been enjoying her new baby, but instead she began her battle for life when they discovered a brain tumor in her cerebellum. In 1954, brain surgery was not all that common, but as I said... My mother is an overcomer!

Fast forward to today, 60 years later, and my mother who was a walking miracle again lies in a hospital bed with my father faithfully at her side. He sat in this chair all night holding her hand as she slept.


She was admitted to the cardiac care unit yesterday because she was experiencing pain in her chest, arms and neck. I have a hard time thinking it is her heart. A couple years ago, she had a heart cath. The doctor told us afterwards that she could smoke 5 packs a day from this point on and her arteries would be still be fine. To that, my mother in all seriousness said, "Oh, I would never do that!" Sometimes , she has a hard time distinguishing when people are not being literal.

At 2AM this morning, my mother sat up in bed and yelled out. She suffered a seizure. At this point, we don't know what this means. We're still waiting on the EEG report to determine her brain wave activity because she is having difficulty speaking. They have now moved her to Neurology ICU where my dad refuses to leave her side, and this is how it should be....my mother, the overcomer, and the man who holds her hand.