One year ago, our lives upended. My dad took my mom to the Emergency Department because she just didn’t seem right. The tests and treatments started immediately, and it seemed like the news got worse and worse as the days went on. I remember those dark, cold, snowy, scary days in that hospital room. Her first bone marrow biopsy, first blood transfusion. Oxygen tubing, fevers, beeping monitors. Kind strangers. Terrible hospital coffee.

The first dose of chemo - into my mother. My mother started chemo on March 23. I can still hardly believe that. 

The comfortable familiars - my dad drinking tea, my mom with a cozy blanket. The calls, texts and emails from loved ones far and wide. Pesach in the hospital. My dad, Aleks, Nicole and I working tirelessly to get the house organized and ready for- to bring her home. To. Bring. Her. Home.

I had the honor of driving her back home on a beautiful, warm sunny day. There have been countless clinic visits, all with my dad by her side. Lots of adjustments to a new way of life - new challenges and daily victories when we all get to laugh together or share a memory. We were blessed with a beautiful summer and a mild winter - little things that made life easier and getting outside more enjoyable. The kitchen has progressed remarkably. 

None of us knows what tomorrow has in store. One year ago tonight I fell asleep afraid of what news the next day would bring. One year + day ago, I had no idea that this was coming.

We’re grateful to each of you for lightening our load. Grateful for the compassionate and exceptional caregivers at Abbott Northwestern. I am grateful to my family for coming together to support her. And I’m grateful for my mom - her bravery, her grace, her humor and the beautiful community she’s fostered around her. I am grateful to make this post.

One year.