There is someone in every persons life who impacts them in a way in which they know they would never be the same if they had not met them. Sometimes they're difficult. Sometime's they're the only thing that keeps you holding on. But, through it all, we wouldn't take a second of it back. Welcome to:
Another Exciting Day in my Mediocre Life: Part 2
Mom
Where do I even begin to start here. First of all, you inspire me. You are what makes me strong.

My mom, she is an incredibly strong woman. You see, she has so many medical problems that nobody would have blamed her if she had just called in quits years ago. I believe I explained this in "Another Exciting Day in my Mediocre Life: Part 1- The Background" but in case you didn't catch it, I'll explain again. My mom has many medical issues and only some have an actual diagnosis. Currently, she is working with a neuroligist, trying to figure out what is the cause of intense and life impairing dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, nausea, balance issues, tension in the neck and shoulders, and much more. She's been suffering for about 14 years with alot of these symptoms with many misdiagnoses. In fact, they did a hysterectimy at one point, only to find out later that may not have been necessary. She still suffers from the pain of not being able to give my stepdad a baby. Not to mention we don't know what the 6 benign tumors on her neck are from. They believe it may be multiple sclurosis, or a rare disease called neurofibromitosis. Multiple sclurosis has no known cure, only therapies to help slow the progression of the disease so one can maintain a normal quality of life. And, after 14 years of suffering, any kind of relief would be greatly appreciated by her, and by all of us, I'm sure. We hate to watch her suffer every day. Neurofibromatosis, from what I recall hearing from her about her type of it, can be treated by radiation. It also has a 50% chance that her children may have the same disease. This is frightening, because I have a lot of the same symptoms that she has. One more possible disease that she believes that she really may have is a disease called chiari malformation. This disease is where the indented bony space at the lower end of the skull is smaller than normal, so that the brain is pushed downward. Cure for this? Brain surgery. There is no way of being able to explain the fear I feel when I think that one day, my mom may not be here anymore. All I can hope is that she stays strong long enough through all of this to finally, finally, find out what she is suffering with and fix her.

She has gone through too many tests to count, been poked with tons of needles, and had 19 surgeries. This woman, is without a doubt, remarkable. This isn't even the beginning of her story.

My mom grew up in Berwick, PA. Her own mother was a scumbag and left her and her 3 young siblings when my mom was only a little girl. Her dad was a retired army man, so he wasn't very good at showing affection. He remarried. The womans name was Darlene, and this lady does not deserve to breathe the same air as my mother. You see, this woman used to beat my mom and her siblings. And they, naturally, were afraid of her. After living in fear for so many years and being told that she would amount to nothing, my mom, at the age of 16, married a man just to get out of the house. She was young, and wanted to feel loved. So she believed he wanted her. And it got her away from the hell she called home for so long. Against all doubt that she had, she graduated high school, even though she could have easily given up. She got that diploma for herself, and she was damn proud of it. She proved Darlene and anybody else who didn't believe that she was made up of so much more than they could even imagine. She and hery first husband eventually divorced, but she had made herself stronger by then. At some point, she went to live with her sister Kim, who legally adopted her until she turned 18. She got pregnant at 19 years old with my brother, Anthony, by a man who denied him until, oh, I don't know, maybe he was 13 years old. And, eventually, married my, for lack of a better word, father, leading to myself and my younger brother, Christopher. That marriage was disfunctional, with an alcoholic abusive man and a mom trying her hardest to stay strong and hide it from us. That only lasted so long until he began hitting Anthony. She suffered enough abuse, she didn't need more. Eventually, we left that situation, as I explain in the first part of my story, and finally settled into a stable, happier life with Bob. She had known Bob for years before I came into the picture, and he was in my life for all of it. We all loved him, even if I didn't want to move in with him to start.

Now, mind you, I am not my mom, and if you are reading this Mom, I apologize if all of my facts aren't straight. You've told me so many stories that leave me horrified and sorrowful for you. And all I get out of each and every one of them is more respect for you, more love that you stayed strong and made it to this day.

I cannot even begin to describe just how much my mom means to me. She is my heart. I can honestly say that she has made me into the strong, responsible, self respecting girl I am today. She is so incredibly strong, beyond the comprehension of many people. She has a humor that could have you falling off your seat, and a stubborness not even a bull could beat. She is inspiring, witty, smart, and I am more than proud to call her my mom. She and I don't always get along, and we've had our bumps and roadblocks along the way. Because I am the only girl, she protects me like you wouldn't believe. I never felt like a normal kid; I always felt sheltered and found it considerably unfair. We've had our screaming matches, we've had nights where we just cry to each other. She tells me her darkest lows that she doesn't even want to disclose to Bob, because sometimes, I just need to hear it. Sometimes, I just need to know I'm not the only one struggling. I can't even begin to comprehend a life without her. I will not ever be the same person. My mom is my best friend and I cannot explain enough just how much she means to me. She is an inspiringly strong woman, with a story that you need her to explain for you to believe it, to fully understand just where she came from and how she got to be who she is. Her name is Kristin. And she is my hero.