exactly...

This time last year, we were all gathered in Birmingham at the hospital, watching as mother lay there helpless and completely full of pain.  Dad and I were talking, and we can still remember what she was wearing the day she was admitted.  Off white pants, navy top, and an orange coat, adorned with her Auburn pins.  We were all excited about the national championship!  A simple biopsy gone terribly wrong.  She was in so much pain, the morphine pumping into her body wasn't even phasing the pain.  She had Christmas shopping to do, work at her office that needed to be done, and a Christmas lunch that had to be fixed and prepared.  All of that suddenly did not even matter.  She was admitted in the hospital exactly one year ago yesterday.  When Tullie and I got there, I remember the words that dad said to us, as we were walking down the halls to her room.

"Momma is in a lot of pain and is on a lot of medicine...morphine, and other drugs used in the war to help with solder's pain.  She is kind of out of it.  Ciara, don't let that scare you.  She has been in a significant amount of pain since yesterday.  She's hurting now."

We walked in and I can still remember that tiny room's set up.  The ugly green walls.  She was awake and was so glad to see us.  I was surprised she was awake, with all the medicines they were giving her, but she was.  We all sat there for a while talking about other stuff I can't really remember.

Then, dad told us the news, that broke our hearts into a million trillion pieces.  Her cancer was back.

Those first few days, filled with horrific pain, will always be something I will never forget.  I pray that no one has to ever experience anything ever like that.  I pray that she is now on the upside of her battle.  Her pain is significantly less than this time less year.  She has come so far!!  She goes for another scan the week after Christmas.  Please pray that her cancer is still continuing to shrink.  Thank you for your faithful prayers along this journey.