Mum's Got Cancer: Part Three

In 1996 Mum was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and our lives changed forever. Rachel and I were to realise just how fallible our parents were. Both she and I recalled a time when we lived with Mum and were watching a documentary on the TV; it was about a man that had MS and his story. He fell ill and got worse and worse until one day he lost all control of his muscles and could do nothing for himself or speak. We both vividly remember Mum saying "Girls if ever i should become like that please kill me". Little did we know that less than 10 years later fate would diagnose our mum with this horrible illness.

I was away at Uni in 1996 and felt useless. When I would come home I would do all I could and make sure others rallied around. Mum started to be able to talk and walk again and her symptoms went in to remission. . Neurologists decided this was not the first episode but probably the second - her specialist having written on her notes that he suspected MS but didn't want to worry her when she had two small children to look after.

Anyhow 12 years past and we waited for her next bout of sickness; Mum moved, with Terry, to a bungalow to allow her to be able to move around in a wheelchair when the time came. She changed her diet and became a vegetarian (blamed partly on me at the time). The time came and went, visits to Kings and scans and no change in the myelin sheath, in fact it seemed to have repaired itself in places. Quite unheard of. Had Mum beaten this?

Grandchildren were born and their lives celebrated with frequent trips to the seasdie to see Granny and eat copious amounts of gingerbread men. We felt like there was a ticking MS Time Bomb in the back of our minds but Mum was leading a good life. Then POW: CANCER.

Completely out of the blue. Unexpected. Unwelcome. Unwanted. Here to stay.

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