She Found a Lump

I drove home to Brownwood a few days before my birthday to spend the day with my surrogate mother - Karen. I woke up that morning excited to be going to visit because I had not seen her since Christmas. I missed spending time with her greatly.

I dressed and prepared NaKoda to spend the day by herself. I went outside and got into my truck only to discover that the back tire was completely flat and had a huge screw in it. Great it was a holiday too! Everything was closed. I managed to find a tire store that was open and purchased a new tire. A few hours later I was on the road again!

I pulled up excited to visit. I went in the house and no one was inside. I looked out the back window to find Karen and her husband Johnny on the gazebo in the back. I poured myself a glass of wine and walked out to the gazebo and sat down. Everything was sunny and beautiful and we had lovely conversation as we watched the dog Cody play and the cats come up and get their bathing from him. The horses wondered up and visited and it was nice relaxing country afternoon. All the things that make me long for home.

Later in the afternoon, Karen and I both needed a refill on our glasses of wine. We walked into the house and as we stood on each side of the bar, Karen pouring our wine, she told me she had found a lump in her breast. She told me that she had found it by accident. She had laid down on her bed and put her hand over her chest and felt the lump. She told me she had already been to the doctor had they had told her it didn't look good. I was shocked. What assholes to announce it that way. I asked if she had made an appointment with another doctor for a second opinion and she had. She went in for the biopsy and it was cancer.

My world came crashing down. I did not want to lose a second mother to cancer. I could not go through this again. My hope was that medicine had improved over the 20 years.