Nana Zana is my Hero

My mom. She is an inspiration. She is a loving wife, mother and grandmother. If you could have harnessed her energy a year ago, you could have powered the space shuttle. She was healthy, fit and always on the go. The first week of June 2008 changed all of that. She almost left us...forever.

Mom has had atrial fib for years. It is a condition that was caused by a childhood illness. For this she took the blood thinner coumaden. Some time in May, or perhaps even before that, the amount of coumaden in her blood got out of whack. Way out of whack. She began to bleed internally. Then it happened.....she collapsed. She was life flighted to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. We rushed to her side. She underwent emergency surgery to repair the damage.

During her time in Missoula at St. Pat's she had two surgeries, three strokes, one of which was huge, and she developed pneumonia. She was in and out of the ICU almost weekly. She spent five weeks there. During that time Dad was by her side each and every day. My sister took leave from her job and moved into a hotel not far from the hospital and T, the Empress and I spent every moment we could by her side.

After five weeks we had her moved to a rehab facility in Kalispell. Dad moved in with us. Over the next three months Mom worked and worked at her recovery. On October 30, she was released and they went home.

Jump ahead to today. Mom continues to work hard at her recovery. She goes twice weekly to physical and occupational therapy. The big stroke left her in a wheelchair and without the use of her left side. Now she can walk with a cane, but depends a great deal on a wheelchair. She will probably never recover the use of her left arm. My sister quit her job as a nurse and moved home to take care of Mom and Dad.

My mom has always been a super strong woman. In reality Mom should have died...several times. The fact is that she is somewhat a miracle. In some of her darkest moments she told us she wanted to die. She said that often. However, she didn't, she kept fighting. Dad told her there must be a reason she was alive, and to hurry up and start living. That is just what she did. Now, I would have to say there was a reason she lived, and that I believe is the Empress. My mom and the Empress have a very special relationship. I know that Grandmas and Grandaughters usually do, but I think their relationship is different. My mom adores the Empress....is obsessed with the Empress. The feeling is mutual.

Currently, my Mom is working toward attending the Empress' dance recital in the spring.

My mom is an inspiration. She is my hero.