Saved. Again.

February 19, 2007
It is just after 1 AM when the telephone rings. As G goes to answer it, I say a silent prayer that it's just a wrong number. It isn't. G's sister is calling him about their mother, who at that moment, is being aided by EMTs getting ready to transport her to the hospital. It is deja vu all over again.

April 23, 2005
It is the 2 year anniversary of G's father's death. This year, April 23 falls on a Saturday. G is getting ready to head over to his mom's, who lives only a mile up the road from us. He is going there to meet with a local handyman to go over some repairs needed to his mother's home. The handyman is scheduled to arrive at the house at 9 AM, but G heads over just after 8 AM.

He arrives to find his mother in the bathroom, extremely disoriented and quite ill. He manages to get her to the bedroom and calls me, asking if I could find somebody to watch the boys and come to help him with her. I recruit my next door neighbor and meet him shortly thereafter. I cannot believe what I am witnessing. He has already called his sister, he tells me, and she is on her way. My mother-in-law is in dire need of medical attention. Immediately. Once his sister arrives and assesses the condition of her mother, it is unanimous and I call 911.

By the time the EMTs arrive, my mother-in-law is very near slipping into a diabetic coma if she hasn't already. The EMTs nearly panic and will not take her to our hospital of choice. She will not make it. They don't even know if she'll make it to the nearest one.

G and his sister follow the ambulance to the hospital while I return home to relieve my neighbor, who has to get to a wedding. Once my neice arrives to watch the boys, I rush to the hospital and after identifying myself, am led into the ER where I find G and his sister. The looks on their faces is as grim as my mother-in-law's prognosis. They have intubated her and stabilized her, but she is extremely critical. We can only wait.

By some grace of a miracle, my mother-in-law survives this brush with death. For nearly 2 weeks, she is a patient at the hospital before being discharged. And I find myself thanking God over and over for the turn of events that took place that had G even going to her house to begin with. Because if he wasn't going over to meet with the handyman, it would have been too late for his mom. It may have been the anniversary of G's dad's death, but it wasn't his mother's time to go. It's true; things happen for a reason.

February 19, 2007
It is 4:30 AM when G returns from the hospital. He has not called me to give me an update, so I have spent those hours lying awake in bed, waiting for word and hoping for good news and wondering why it is taking so long. I purposely don't call the hospital for an update because I am too afraid of what will be said.

I hold my breath and remember to exhale after G says that she is back at home. Roberta had heard her mother in the next room, and something didn't sound right. She went to check on her mom and found her incoherent and disoriented, gurgling and very much out of sorts. This time, there was no need to consult with the siblings as to whether or not she should call 911.

Once the EMTs got her stabilized with sugar water, they transport her to the hospital. Her sugar level is 23. They give her fluids, and monitor her. When her level is rechecked and still dangerously low, they force her to eat something. It takes over 3 hours for all of this to transpire by the time she is well enough to be discharged and allowed to go home.

She had a salad earlier that evening, but probably didn't eat enough throughout the day. She had awaked at night with the familiar feeling she has known countless times before -- clammy skin, hot -- and knowing it was because she needed to eat something. But she was tired and dismissed the thought, deciding she'd eat something when she got up the next morning. Bad. Idea. Her condition worsened and by then, she was immobile, unable to move or even call for help.

And I find myself thanking God over and over for the turn of events that took place that had Roberta having the sense to check on her mom. Because if she wasn't living there, her permanent residence for nearly 2 years now, it would have been too late for her mom. It may have been another close brush with death, but it wasn't her mother's time to go. It's true; things happen for a reason.