Family Emergency …

There has been a slight change in plans. On Sunday we received word that my mother had suffered a heart attack. That kind of news is always disturbing, but in the case of my 90-year-old Mom, age really exacerbates the problem.

My brother called us in Cincinnati at about 7am, and the report was that there were several doctors standing around Mom, and that at one point she had stopped breathing. This really rattled us, and we were in a fog as we made plane reservations, rescheduled several appointments, and began to pack. A later report that she had stabilized was reassuring.

We arrived in New Orleans Monday, just in time for afternoon visiting hours, and went straight to the hospital. The biggest hold up was Dollar Rent-a-Car --- be sure not to ever use them. But I digress.

On our arrival we were very pleasantly surprised to see Mom sitting up, fully conscious. She had just had her breathing tube removed and had a lot of things to say to us that had been bottled up with the tube in.

Mostly she was glad to see her three sons and their wives all together and having a good time. One curious thing about her is that whenever she entertained, her pleasure was not in the event, but in seeing other people enjoying themselves.

Alan and I get along beautifully, but we both have a problem with Gary. Suffice it to say that he had made some questionable moves relating to my mother’s finances, and continues to take advantage of her in various ways.

Food is now an issue. She has always criticized any food cooked by anyone other than herself, and, well you know about hospital food.

As I write this, Mom is recovering very nicely, and has moved from ICU to a regular room. She will be doing cardiac rehab, but otherwise is near full recovery. She was a hardy 90, but I expect she might come out of this a bit frail. I will keep you posted.

jbv's Competitive Edge