My mom was diagnosed with cancer and needed to have surgery. It took several weeks to find a surgeon willing to do the operation for an uninsured patient, and it felt like I spent every minute of free time calling doctors and hospitals trying to find someone to help her. I've never felt so disappointed in the medical system. The bright side of the story is that we did finally find a wonderful doctor at UMC in Tucson. In an unexpected act of kindness, my residency program helped set up a 5-day leave of absence so that I could go help out. (Mom and Dad aren't exactly savvy city folks. The idea of letting them wander around Tucson unchaperoned is sort of terrifying, in and of itself, even without adding the layer of complexity involved in clinic appointments, surgery, post-op care, and hospital billing.) First things first, upon reaching the city two nights before her operation we went to Taco Bell. Mom basically considers this the Holy Land and actually said, "Well, if I had to get cancer, at least I got a taco out of the deal."
The truly beautiful side of the story is that the surgery went perfectly, there was no evidence of cancerous spread to the lymph nodes or elsewhere, and she recovered quickly after the procedure. 
In fact, by the next afternoon, she was sitting up in a chair cheating at cards again.
...and as of Monday evening, she and my Dad are back in Round Valley, puttering around in the podunk rural paradise they're much better suited for. Couldn't ask for a happier ending.
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No adventure is complete without Murphy's Law, so I should mention that one of the hotel beds collapsed in the middle of the night for absolutely no reason. Focusing on the positive, at least the floor didn't collapse under it, too.
P.S. to Howard Johnson Inn of Tucson:
We'll let the Bed Incident slide as a freakish accident, but this informational sticker posted in the bathroom of Room 108 is just a flagrant lie.
Your parents are absolutely awesome! I love the picture at Taco Bell, you can just see the sheer look of bliss on their faces! Glad everything went well!
ReplyDeleteOh your poor mother, cancer and having to endure a trip to the big city! But, yes, at least there were tacos involved. Best wishes to her. Love ya!
ReplyDeleteAw man, I'm glad she's doing ok! Here's to many, many more years of tacos! How are you doing?
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so glad everything went well. I love this post, I love how you do find the bright side amid the stress of it all. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you are Wonderwoman! And don't tell me that bed "just" broke...I know you guys were jumping on it.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I just found your blog via Lindsey's, and may I just say that you are the very most especially cool person on the planet and the best thing since Taco Bell came to Eagar.
ReplyDeleteyour blog is totally fun and funky. I am so glad that your mom is doing okay.
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