Last August, we found out that Grandma had brain cancer, a fast-growing and malignant brain tumor called Glioblastoma Multiforme. Grandma had not been feeling well for a few weeks with flu-like symptoms that would come and go. She went to the doctor several times and there were many tests done, which all came back normal. Then the family started noticing that Mom wasn't as alert as usual. She would frequently gaze into space and not fully participate in conversations. The left side of her face also began to droop and she fell twice. She was transported to the local hospital where the ER doctor thought she might have had a small stroke, so they did a CT scan to determine the scope. That was followed by an MRI... and the results.
While the doctors think she has only had the tumor for 6 to 8 months, it has grown to a significant size. They told us that if the cancer is allowed to run its course, Mom will only have about a month to live. The tumor is inoperable and Mom is not a candidate for chemotherapy due to the size of the tumor and her age. The only option for treatment is radiation therapy, which Grandma agreed to try. However, after 3 days, she made the decision that the time spent and the exhaustion that it caused was not worth the small amount of additional quality time we had hoped would be the result.
I was surprised by how I reacted to all of the news. I openly cried at work when I recieved the phone calls. This surprised my co-workers too. I was able to take time off from work and help care for Grandma, giving my Sister and Aunt some much needed breaks. The time I spent with her was great, even though she slept a lot. It also allowed me the time to go for a few trail runs. I absolutely love running on trails!
This should have been posted prior to Run Rabbit Run... I suppose if I'm going to be a 'blogger', I should at least try to have some sort of accurate timeline.
