My Sister

Yesterday I received news that was so scary that, upon hearing it, made me feel like I was suffocating. I learned that only an hour after speaking with her on the telephone, my sister Sheri suffered a stroke. She is 39 years and the mother to three small children.

True to our habit since we both became stay at home mom's, I spoke with Sheri on the phone yesterday before I went to exercise. She sounded chipper and happy and never complained about anything feeling amiss. I told her that we'd talk later and hung up the phone. I received a call from my Mom an hour later, telling me that my sister was en route to the hospital. It is amazing how life can change so drastically in an instant.

Apparently Sheri was driving and suffered a severe headache. She phoned her husband who urged her to pull over. She parked her van in the parking lot of the Home Depot where her husband rushed to her side. An ambulance was immediately called.

The hospital treated her with medication that, if administered within four hours of the event, is supposed to minimize the damage of the stroke. She was airlifted to a larger facility. Now, all we can do is wait. And pray.

Sheri can't move the right side of her body, and her speech is slurred and difficult to understand. We're told that the fact that she is trying to speak is a positive sign and I am holding on to that nugget of hope. We won't know anymore for a few days. I hate waiting. I've never been known for my patience!

My mom is watching my niece and nephews, working her "Nana magic" to keep them happy and occupied. (Jacob is sporting another leg cast which has greatly limited the options for entertainment.) I'm on phone tree duty, dispersing sparse information to family and friends. I wish that there was more that I can do. I feel so utterly helpless.

I've written about my sister and her family in the past, most recently in an essay I wrote for a radio dream giveaway. (I'm still a little disappointed that my essay was not chosen.) After a myriad of obstacles, her family was finally starting to rebound financially and emotionally. Sometimes life seems so unfair.