Sharon's {cancer} Story: One last trip to Wal-Mart

Sometime in mid-July, mom and I finally got out of the house together and ventured to Wal-Mart. She really hadn’t been out much besides to the doctors. She was going down hill so fast that we didn’t realize how hard it would be for her to get out. It was her husband’s birthday and she wanted to pick out a card and get some other things.

It was so strange. I was not used to my mom being so weak and vulnerable. I remember having to drop her off at the door b/c there was no way she could have walked from the parking lot to the entrance. We ended up having to get her one of those motorized carts.

Once inside, she saw the portrait studio and immediately insisted on us getting our pictures made. I remember being hesitant b/c I wasn’t dressed for pictures and I didn’t understand why she wanted professional pics of just me and her. I don’t know what was wrong w/ me at the time. It’s like it never crossed my mind that mom had an internal list of things she wanted to do before she died and getting pictures made was one of them. She really wanted to get family pictures made w/ me, Tessa, and the kids. But that never happened b/c Tessa was such a whirl wind at that time. I’m glad that me and mom could at least get the pictures together b/c it was important to her.

After that we went to the children’s section and looked for outfits for Cassidy and Savannah. Mom was in such a goofy mood (I think the pain medicine was kicking in). The cart she had had no middle speed – it would go real fast, then come to a screeching stop. She kept bumping into things and we were just laughing the whole time. Neither one of us could figure out how to work that stupid cart.

It was a nice break from radiation and doctor appointments and the ‘house’. It was nice to laugh again and be silly together. Being at that house (w/ her husband) felt so tense all the time. I hated it there. We needed to get out (just me and her) and try to feel normal… if only for a moment. I’m glad I have that memory. It’s one of the few good ones I have during that time… just remembering me and mom laughing so hard we could cry.