I moved away from home for the first time to attend University out of province. I've never been so displaced, left alone amongst the buzz of the city's fast-paced movement where there was never a break in my schedule, and failing a test meant the end of the world. Calling home was never the first priority on my list, as I barely stopped to breathe. I had just returned back to Halifax after spending Christmas break at home, ready to slip back into the endless routine of lengthy days where classes and homework turned me into a mindless drone. I woke up early after my first night back and began my daily routine. I was surprised at how easily I was able to slip back into the motions, almost mechanically after being away for so long. I heated up the iron to curl my hair when I heard the faint buzzing of my phone over the music that had been playing on the radio. I usually just let it buzz, because my parents were the only ones who opted not to text me first, and I'd call them back when I wasn't busy. Looking at the clock, I saw that I had a little time left before class, so I answered the phone. Nothing that I had experienced could have ever prepared me for that phonecall.
"I'm calling from the G.B Cross Memorial Hospital", the voice said. "There's been an accident with your mother". At that moment, I could feel the strength being pulled from my body as I descended, dazed, and crumpled into a heap on the floor. I could feel the walls crushing in on me and even though the buzz of the city was outside my window, I heard nothing but the voice on the other end of the receiver. Next came my father, sobbing too much to produce a complete sentence, "Massive heart attack... serious... come home". I ran around my room, void of all emotion, packing a bag full useless things in my frenzy and took off to the airport for the first flight home. When I landed, I learned that my Mother had gone in for a routine day surgery, but when the anaesthesia kicked in, her heart stopped. She flatlined 7 times, the last time being with a massive heart attack. They had been keeping her on life support until I got home, as there was less than a 1% chance of her bouncing back.
I always thought that if anything happened to one of my parents, being an only child, I would go into a fit of hysteria. I thought that I wouldn't be able to function, that I'd just succumb to the madness and that would be the end of me. Life, it turns out, goes on. There is no cosmic rule that grants you immunity from the pain just because you have come face-to-face with a catastrophe, but life finds a way you strength. The sun still rises and you do what needs to be done. You never really find out how strong you are until being strong is the only option you have. My first thought was about how stupid it was to worry about my mid terms. They were just silly little tests that meant nothing. My second thought was how stupid it was that my first thought was about University, my third, how much I regretted not calling home more often. Could I even remember the last conversation that I had with my Mother? I sat mindlessly in the hospital, revelling in memories and hoping, wishing that this was all a horrible dream that I would soon wake up from.
Over the next few days, a miracle happened. My mother woke up. Not only did she wake up, but she requested to have a pen and paper to write her thoughts down because she was still hooked up to breathing tubes and couldn't speak. The doctors were astounded, as they were preparing for an autopsy. Waking up from 7 flatlines is one thing, but waking up with no brain damage is unheard of. With pen in hand, she wrote this:
A week later, my Mother had been discharged - she was home and healthy. The doctors still don't know what happened, but her heart shows no damage or abnormalities. She's nothing short of a miracle. I believe that this happened for a reason - to allow not only me, but everyone who experienced this scare to appreciate what's in front of them, to slow down and try not to worry about the little things that somehow get turned into big things in our twisted perceptions of reality. I have been a different person since witnessing how quickly things can change in an instant. Sometimes, all we need is a shift in perspective, a chance to look at a situation in a different way in order to focus on what’s really important.
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