My message to you

All my life, I have been living one day at a time. One day. How long will these one days last? Sometimes I don't care, but sometimes I just hope that these "one days" would end someday soon. Not a happy start, huh? Well, it wasn't always that way....

"Deb, are you dressed? Deb? DEB!"

"Mmm...ugh...Wha?"

'Was that a dream? I could have sworn I was getting ready for school...'

I look at the clock and spring to my feet to not be late again for school. There's a mess everywhere in the room, but it is like this everywhere in the house. After coming out, Mom also comes out of the hallway bathroom in her wheelchair.

"We're going to be late. You and Dave need to be in the car right now."

I go behind the wheelchair to push mom to the garage. Trash is everywhere and I don't remember when I last took a shower. After helping mom in the car by lifting her legs into the car, she drives Dave and me to school for yet another school day.

I bet you are thinking "They must be poor" or "What kind of environment did their mom bring them up in?". No, we were in the "upper middle class", if that really means a lot in the US, and to be honest, I wouldn't change a thing....not for the world. I learned to "grow up" in other meanings that I'm glad for. Granted, I didn't know what was the "norm" and didn't learn until I had lost the one thing that I was living my life for...

"Alright, mom, I'm going to go to sleep. You can play now."

I log my character out of FFXI and pull the chair out of the way for mom to position her wheelchair close enough to the desk.

"Thanks, sweetpea."

"Mmhmm"

I lay on the couch in the living room and see my brother going to the "dining room" AKA, the computer room.

'Ugh...it's 1:30am. I'm not going to have a lot of energy for tomorrow'

I fall asleep until the next thing I know, my brother is shaking me yelling to call 911.

"What happened? Is mom hurt?"

"I don't know, she isn't responding normally. Call 911 while I check up on her!"

I pick up the phone, wondering what he meant by that. I dial 911 thinking that I have no idea what to say.

"Hello. This is 911, do you have an emergency?"

"Yes, I think my mom needs to go to the hospital and we can't drive there."

"I understand. Where do you live?"

After the phone call, I run to the bathroom and see mom. She is sitting there...or rather leaning there.

"Mom, can you hear me? MOM!"

I see her drooling and making a "mmm" sound. I have hope she can hear me, but there isn't a clear response. After a minute, she straightens and looks at us.

"I'm ok. I'm ok."

Though, after a few seconds, she started to lean again...

"Mom! MOM! MOMMY!"

I keep shaking her, but my brother tells me to stop because it might hurt her.

After 30 mins, which feels like hours, the ambulance comes and takes her away with my brother. At home, I start cleaning thinking that the house needs to be clean enough where mom won't get in trouble if people come over. 30 minutes later, the phone rings and I rush over to pick it up.