Pix by Bruce Warrington
I was the major caregiver for my parents before they died. I’m not cut out to be a caregiver. Not that Mom needed much care. She was 100% sharp and all there until she died. And Dad was in an Alzheimer’s unit and other than visiting him, there wasn’t much I could do.
But Mom. Wow. Being a caregiver for her was something else. She didn’t want a caregiver.
So “caregiver” got defined by Mom as visits with dinner and wine, good conversation and help with whatever else she needed.
One evening she asked me to look at her shoulder. She said she had an old scar there that had been bleeding and she wanted me to take a look. I said I’d see what was happening but I’m not good at bloody stuff.
She told me that a long time ago,she and Dad had been on a fishing trip in Canada and she’d been hooked in the shoulder by a bad cast. The hook was buried deep. They were in the middle of nowhere but Dad, a doctor, had some first aid supplies and CUT OUT THE HOOK and sewed her up.
I always knew that Mom was tough but I hope she had a shot of Canadian whiskey before he did that.
ME: Mom, I don’t think scars should be bleeding.
MOM: Well it is. Just take a look.
ME: Ok, but I’m not good at this stuff.
MOM: Oh, grow up! How bad can it be? It’s a 50 year old scar.
I pulled off the bandage and about passed out. It looked like there was an alien head growing out of her shoulder.
I admit to swearing.
ME: F***! Mom, there’s an open growth on your shoulder!
MOM: Well, that explains the damn bleeding.ME: You need to get that looked at immediately. Holy shit, Mom it’s awful.MOM: Calm down. You’re white as a sheet.
ME: Seriously, it looks like some science fiction thing growing out of your shoulder.MOM: You always exaggerate things! I’m sure it’s not that bad. Put the bandage back on!
ME: You’re not looking at it. It looks like something from a horror movie!
MOM: Shut-up. You’re not helping.
ME: Promise me you’ll call the doctor and get this looked at tomorrow.
She did get in touch with her doctor who had just about the same reaction I did which made me feel better. I went to the hospital and sat in the waiting room with my sister-in-law Chris during Mom’s surgery. Mom went through surgery really well and the doctor came out after the procedure anxious to show us the photos he’d taken. He was thought the wound was bizarre and really cool. Chris said no thanks to the photo viewing but I was ready. Nothing could be as bad as seeing that little alien in person in the flesh….literally.
After Mom died I came across those photos. I don’t know what I did with them.
I hope I burned them.
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