I rarely delve into my personal life here on my blog. It's just not something I'm comfortable talking about very often but a lot of you guys let me be a part of your lives and are so open with me that maybe it's time I returned the favour.
This photo is one from when myself, my sisters, parents and Nana went to New York in 2015. I have canvas prints everywhere and it's taking pride of place in about three different places in the house!
A lot of you know that Papa died in 2014. It was our dream to take both him and Nana away to NYC on holiday with us, but it just wasn't meant to be. Nana is one of the strongest women I know. She spent 60 years of marriage with Papa, she misses him every second of every day and yet she still has optimism in life. She's less than 5 feet tall (minus her towering white hair! haha!) and is disabled, yet she went all the way to New York, experienced Times Square, the Rockefeller Tree and even sat on a bar stool in an irish pub. Legend!
The most incredible part of the picture is actually my Mum. We had discovered earlier in the year that mom had a serious heart problem which meant she had to have a heart valve replacement. It was so bad that we were told that without having it done, she would survive weeks at the most. As mom was placed on a waiting list, all she could think of was having it done so she could go to NYC. 7 weeks before we were due to go, the hospital called and told her they had a cancellation...THAT SAME DAY. Mum, terrified, took the appointment and traveled two hours with my dad to the hospital.
Mum had open heart surgery and doctors discovered a lot more work needed done. Once the operation was complete, we nearly lost her. Doctors had a hard time stabilising her and it was touch and go for 2-3 days.
As mom got stronger and stronger, we discovered she needed a pacemaker too. She had that fitted and spent a further week in hospital.
6 weeks later, Mum had an appointment to find out if she could be 'signed off' to go to NYC. The doctors were shocked at how well she had recovered and 6 weeks after almost dying from major open heart surgery, she flew to new york, walked for miles everyday, drank copious amounts of alcohol and laughed all the way through.
I've never been so proud of anyone in all my life and it just proved that my Mum truly is an incredible, strong woman. Whenever I'm afraid of anything, I think back to that moment and remember how strong my Mother is. This picture shows her with a beaming smile just 6 weeks after the operation.
It's been little over a year since Mum had her operation and she is in full health. At 61 years old, she feels like she's 40 again and her heart has fully repaired.
Thanks to Truprint for the #GiveAMemory opportunity. I'm a blubbering mess just now, but I would love to hear all about your favorite photo and why it's so significant.
H x
*This is a collaboration with Truprint
