My blogging has been at a stand still. On October 26th, my mother became ill and many lives were changed, including mine. My mother was diagnosed, for lack of a better word, with Guillian Barre' Syndrome. It is rare. It is basically an auto immune issue where your body starts to attack your nerves in your spinal cord. My mother went from a healthy fairly active person to being paralyzed from the neck down...within 24 hours. It has turned our world upside down. It has been a chain reaction.
My mother is struck ill---->New homes have to be found for her two siblings that she cared for -----> Family begins to bicker about who needs to share in responsibility ----> my brother and I are small business owners so when we don't work, we don't get paid----> budgets are created----> hobbies and vacations are put on hold-----> our world evolves around caring for my mom and her home -----> and I have to drop of training for marathon.
That is right. I would not see the fruits of my labor. My mother was in the hospital until mid January and my brother and I shared the duty of seeing her and helping her. She had become quadriplegic and needed our help and support. In mid January she moved in with me and I no longer had the freedom to go run when I wanted to run. If I thought taking time out of my week to drive to see my mom for a few hours was hard...try being her caretaker 24/7. The first few weeks were very hard. I rarely slept and it took its toll on me.
But I am back. We have a caretaker that comes in a few hours a couple of days a week. This allows me time to work and start enjoying life again. My first run was Monday and I loved it. So what if my pace was not the same as it was before or that I felt really sore the next day. What a great feeling that was...soreness. I missed it. I know it sounds crazy but I did.
So here is to my first run and my first attempt at a normal life again, to be among the living. Over the next few weeks I'll share my experiences on running and the balancing act I must do in order to be a full time care take for my mother and a full time me.
Be ready because here I come.
