I know we all have them...those certain moments in time that stick out in our brain. I remember exactly where I was when I heard John Lennon was shot dead (I was working at Pioneer Chicken and my Dad called to tell me, because he knew what a huge fan I was.) I remember exactly where I was when the space shuttle Challenger exploded (I was working in the corporate office of Woman's World and my Mom called to tell me...) I remember exactly where I was when I heard Princess Diana had been killed in a car accident, the moments the Twin Towers fell...and the list goes on. I also remember happy times, but admittedly, those sad moments stick out in my mind clearer.
On January 2nd of last year, on my way up to see the floats from the Rose Parade I remember getting two texts. Both came from dear friends, both with tragic news. My friend Sylvia (who also happened to be celebrating her birthday that day) had lost her father after many health problems, and my friend Doug had lost his darling dog and companion of many, many years, Kiki. What a sad, sad day that was for those two very special people. Losing someone or something so close seemed almost unimaginable to me.
The next day, Jan. 3, exactly one year ago today, I was having lunch with my two daughters. We were at a little place called Brewski's. We were at the tail end of our lunch when my cell phone rang. It was my Mom. She was with my Dad down at the kidney dialysis clinic and he'd fallen as they were getting ready to leave. She was upset, but still relatively calm as she told me that they'd gotten him up and in the car, but he was in some of pain, and that she was going to take him to the Kaiser Emergency room just to be sure he was ok. I told her to call me back as soon as she knew anything.
About 15 minutes later, as we were ready to leave the restaurant, my phone rang again. This time Mom was in a terrible panic. She said that Dad had (for lack of a better word) passed out as they were trying to get him out of the car and into a wheel chair. She wasn't sure if he'd had a heart attack or a stroke, or simply passed out from the pain. She needed me, and she needed me NOW. I remember laying down my ATM card on the table and starting to panic myself. The waiter rushed away with my card and immediately returned. I'd told him to hurry and that I'd just gotten bad news...
I flew down to the Kaiser Hospital, making what should have been a 20 minute trip in about 12 minutes. Thank goodness there was no traffic and no police around to have to explain myself to. When I arrived I quickly found my Mom, found out that Dad had come around, and that the doctors were evaluating him.
That afternoon and evening were extremely long. It was well into the evening before we finally found out that he did, indeed, break his hip on his fall. He'd need surgery to repair it, but first, they told us, he would have to be evaluated by a cardiologist. His heart, although brimming with love, was not the strongest anymore. It was a concern....
Little did we know life would never be the same.
