I’m not down with COPD, yea, you know me!
Some of you may get the 1991 reference to Naughty By Nature’s O.P.P.
If you are not familiar with the song, look it up… this will make much more sense and it is a super catchy tune.
So… I moved home on June 10th, 2022, to help care for my mother. She hadn’t been driving for several months, much to her chagrin and it was cramping her style. She still tells everyone how her children decided she should no longer drive and took away her privileges. Damn straight we did. Three years prior, she flipped her car (unbelievably without injury) and had to be extricated with the jaws of life. We should’ve done it then, but hindsight is 20/20. Also, I highly recommend Audi... My mom didn't even have a scratch.
Now, I never felt rooted in Atlanta my 25+ years as a resident and I was fortunate to be in a position to move home. I sold my house and off I went back to the Northeast. Truth be told, Atlanta was not for me (for many years) and I truly belonged in Buffalo. I was relieved to be coming home.
When I returned to Buffalo, I took residence in my room at my mom’s. She was doing pretty well at that point. The first two months home were the best as I was able to spend lots of time with my dad.. until he suddenly passed on August 23, 2022. While his health wasn’t great, it came as a shock. This daddy’s girl is still grieving in every way and will always. That said, I will be forever grateful for those two months with my dad. He meant and still means everything to me.
So, back to my mom (aka Grammaline). My first year home her health was pretty good, she was mobile and we were venturing out regularly on local excursions, meals and enjoying the Buffalo Philharmonic, etc… then the COPD really hit the old gal.
This past year, she’s been relegated to full-time oxygen. She has a portable unit, so she can still be mobile, which is pivotal, but her confidence and stamina are waning and it breaks my heart.
I get it.. I really do. She’s been independent and active for so many years and it is difficult for her to adjust to this new way of life. She is a stubborn old bird… and yes, I tell her that frequently. Accepting the new “normal” with oxygen and a walker is tough for her. Thankfully, she is coming around to her new “normal.”
I say all of this because I want my mom to grab life by the balls in this stage of her life and enjoy the time she still has.
I am here to assist her in every way possible…and if that means kicking her in her proverbial ass, so be it… I will get the biggest pair of boots available.
To you mom, I say, pick your face up off the floor, channel the tough old bird you are and get to living! You got this.
xoxo,
Your favorite daughter
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Love me some Grammaline!!
Jasmin B