The Unforgettable Night

We waved goodbye from the upstairs window; tears strolling down our cheeks, our hearts entirely crushed and souls completely devastated.

I was basically an average twelve year old and as close as nine days away from being an official teenager. I didn’t think of myself as any different from the rest; I was simply Jen and there was nothing more to it… however, things quickly changed when my motionless twelve year old self saw the unbearable.

It was a Wednesday night and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. I went to bed and nearly two hours later, I heard Mom’s voice crying out my name repeatedly. I woke up in complete shock and unaware of what was happening. My adrenaline kicked in like never before and within just a few seconds, I was by Mom’s side – very alarmed and frightened.

She was having an asthma attack and could barely take a breath. My brother Pat and Mom’s boyfriend were both sleeping upstairs. I was by myself and doing everything and anything I could to prevent her from dying. After minutes of working with her and giving her my full attention – I ran upstairs, woke up her boyfriend and simply hoped for the best.

He insisted I stay upstairs and try to keep calm as much as I possibly could. I was incredibly scared and extremely worried about my mother. I woke up my brother and told him what was happening. We both sat on my bed, clueless, immobile and completely taken aback.

The paramedics finally arrived and worked on her for quite a while. Hearing no sign of life downstairs – I got really nervous. What seemed like hours was nothing but a few minutes. Mom was at last getting brought to the hospital! We waved goodbye from the upstairs window; tears strolling down our cheeks, our hearts entirely crushed and souls completely devastated.

The police officers called our grandparents and advised them that their daughter was getting taken to the hospital. They asked if our grandfather would come pick us up until we found out more information on what was taking place. He gladly agreed to come. After dropping us off at his place, we waited with our grandmother and tried explaining to her what happened.

Suddenly, the phone rang… I looked at my grandmother and I knew – her voice was trembling, her eyes were full of sadness and confusion and her whole body was shacking. Mom was gone…

Looking at her lifeless body in the hospital bed; I couldn’t believe my eyes. A 38 years young mother of two was gone in nothing but an instant. Our past was disappearing, our present was torn apart and our future looked pretty shaky – merely because we no longer had a mother.

That horrible and unforgettable night made me realize what truly matters in life. It taught me to cherish everyone I love and care deeply for; it’s showed me that things can change within nothing but a split second and it’s proved to me how painful losing someone can really be.