Full-Circle Love

It was one of those pitch-black nights where the wind continually howled, and the long tree branch kept hitting the window. Usually, Mia would be frightened, but not tonight. This night would be like no other and never-to-be-repeated again.

She got up, not at the sound of wind or the branch hitting the window, but the heavy sighing coming from her sick, wheezing mother. She sat by her side and began to sob. This was the second time that her Mom was diagnosed with cancer. The first time she would beat it, this time she would not.

Mia's Mom was a beautiful, ethereal being with the voice of a swan. Not only could she sing, but she also wrote all of her lyrics. Indeed, for her, the pen was mightier than the sword.

Mia's Mom grew up in the 1950s as a poor black girl. There weren't many opportunities for Mia's Mom to pursue her musical passion, so she did what most girls did. After high school, she got married and started having children.

Mia is the youngest, and she adores her Mom. She doesn't know what her life will be like without her, and she can't bear to think about it.

Mia looks at the clock, and it says 2:00 am. So, she kisses her Mom on the cheek and goes back to bed. When Mia awakens, the clock says 9:00 am. She jumps out of bed to see her Mom, but her Mom is still sleeping. This is unusual since her Mom, like clockwork, gets up at 8:00 am. Mia doesn't overthink it and begins to make breakfast. Time continues to pass, and now it's 11:00 am, and her Mom is still asleep. Mia now begins to panic.

"She's not going to make it," screamed the frantic paramedic that rushed into their house, trying to revive Mia's Mom.

A few minutes earlier, Mia dialed 911 because her Mom was unresponsive. Mia was in total shock. The night before was exactly like every other night. They talked, they hugged, and Mom was in no more pain than usual. She gasped heavily during the night, but that was normal. But this morning would change Mia's life forever.

When Mia tried to awaken her mother, her Mom's eyes had a glazed look about them. She froze for several minutes before calling the paramedics. Within minutes the paramedics arrived. She told them her Mom had been diagnosed with Stage IV colon and liver cancer. When the paramedic heard this and did his initial examination, he said, "She's not going to make it." He said it in a normal voice, but Mia felt like he was screaming.

The ambulance rushed her Mom to the hospital. Mia later learned she had slipped into a coma, which explained her unresponsiveness. Mia spoke to the doctor. He said they could try to wake her, but she would be in the same excruciating pain as before, and her prognosis would not improve. Or, with Mia's permission, she could take her off life support and watch her slowly die. The life and death decision was now in Mia's hands.

Mia went home and barely slept the whole night. She tossed and turned all night, contemplating the decision she had to make. She and her Mom spoke about this subject before, so Mia knew what she had to do.

Before Mia was born, her Mom wasn't sure if she wanted to have another child. She already had two children. Mia's parents were striving after the American Dream, and having another kid was not exactly in the cards.

Mia's Mom decided to see a doctor about terminating her pregnancy. After her Mom left the doctor's office, she sobbed and sobbed. When she heard what the doctor would do to end Mia's life, she vowed to have her and always cherish her.

Mia's Mom kept that promise. She loved and doted on the little girl so much so that the two became best friends. Mia was comfortable telling her Mom anything and everything.

Mia likes to call it Full-Circle Love because Mia's Mom took care of her for the first nine months of her life, in her belly, caring for her and making sure she made it into the world safe and sound. Mia had the privilege to care for her Mom for the last nine months of her life. From diagnosis to death was nine months for Mia's Mom, and she made sure to care for her and kept her safe as she left this world.

The next morning Mia went back to the hospital and asked the doctor to take her Mom off life-support. She stayed with her Mom until her very last breath. Mia opened up her Mom's small black notebook of lyrics and inspirational quotes.

For the next two hours, she recited everything in her book, and then she came across an entry that said, "Dear Mia, you are the love of my life. I could never have asked for a better daughter. The day I left the doctor's office, I vowed I would always cherish you, but I did something else. I went to the bank and opened up an account in your name. I have been secretly depositing money into that account all your life, and today it is worth $20,000. I hope this can help you with your goals to become an entrepreneur. Thank you for caring for me and for loving me. Do something special for yourself. You deserve it. Love, Mom."