How Could A Tiny Creature Wreck Such Havoc?
Posted by Dr. Judy at 11:24 am
© 2010 Dr. Judy Krings
Courage? I entered Dr. Robert Biswas-Dienor’s Courage Essay Contest to nominate Mom. She deserves a courage award. I knew there was a fat chance I would win, and I didn’t. But winning didn’t matter. What mattered was Mom knew, in my book, she is my hero.
So this one’s for you, my courageous Mom!
How could a tiny creature wreck such havoc? In one split second, the walls of a vibrant, totally independent 87-year-old sweetheart came tumbling down. Ever so humble, she never asked anyone for anything. She was proud of her half-acre garden festooned with every blossom hardy enough to survive Delaware’s challenging climate. “Flowers were her passion.” is already etched on her tombstone.
“Ouch!” She looked down and spied the demon. A wood tick had made her his lunch. Well-meaning, fearing she had contracted Lyme disease, her doctor prescribed an antibiotic. But she didn’t have Lyme.
Tragically, overnight, she lost all hearing in one ear, and a month later, the second. Worse yet, she had 100% vertigo. She would never walk again. Amazingly, she had no bitterness and no resentment. Instead of packing ice around her heart, she harnessed her courage. She refused to be grounded. With telephone communication impossible, computer lessons challenged her patience, but pluck persevered.
After a year of unsuccessful, painful needles in her ears, she made history as the oldest patient to undergo successful cochlear implant surgery. Gratitude tears flowed for limited hearing, “I’m so lucky!”
Still, she couldn’t walk.
Undaunted lips pursed with immense tenacity, she tackled her vertigo nemesis with exhausting PT. And she walked! Like a ropes course, she posted walkers around her yard, engineered boards across, and hauled plants and brush. She suffered, but her garden didn’t! Inspired innovation surged through her soul. Her life was challenging, but my inspirational mom, Louise, courageously conquered.
Who would you have nominated? Why?
And how about yourself? I can smell your courage now.
I just savored a sweet treat of “Wow!” ’cause I know you are brave.
Was that you I saw beating your chest remembering your episode of “I don’t know how I did it, but I did?” Tarzan ain’t got nothing on you!
