Robin Cropper
English Composition 1
Dragoun
January is both a very rough and joyous month for me. In January of 1993 my mother went into the hospital to have her liver transplant. That is one day I will never forget. It was the 15th of January and my mother woke me from my sleep earlier than usual. She explained, “It is that time, Robin. The hospital paged me. A liver has been found and I need to go to the hospital.” I knew what she meant. The fear I felt at that moment was indescribable. I listened as my mother and grandmother told me what to expect. “Robin,” my grandmother said, “Your mother is very sick. You know this. She is going to the hospital and the doctors will make her better. She will be gone for a while and I know this will be tough for you. You need to be brave.” I could not speak. I was only eight years old and far too young to fully comprehend what was happening. In a way, I thought my mother was simply going on a trip. She told me “I know you’re scared and I am too. I promise I will make it through this and come home.” I believed her. My mother never lied to me.
Two days later, when I came home from school, my grandmother and grandfather were sitting in the living room. They both looked as if they had been crying. “Sit down kids.”, my grandpa stated, very firmly. I saw the pain and fear in their faces and could sense something was terribly wrong. “This morning the liver that your mother received failed and the doctors had to rush her into the operating room. Luckily, there was another liver matching her blood type available. She is still very sick and the doctors are not sure she will survive the week.” My grandpa spoke with such pain and fear that I knew this was not good. All I could do was cry. I was scared and had never felt so helpless in my short life. My mother did survive that event but she never came home. My mother died on April 28th of 1993. Since that time, January has been a very rough month for me.
January is also a very joyous occasion. In January of 2003 I was pregnant with my first daughter. The 22nd I was in immense pain. All day I had been yelling to my husband, Dennis, “I hurt all over. I feel like I am dying. Do something!” Finally, late that evening, my husband and I went to the hospital. My daughter was in a breech position and unable to be delivered naturally. The nurses began to prepare me for the cesarean section. I was both very excited and nervous. In a few hours my daughter would be born and I would be a mother.
January 23rd, 2003, at 2:22 in the morning, the doctor announced, “Well Mrs. Cropper, she is still a little girl.” Which is what we were expecting. There she was, my daughter, wrapped in a warm blanket and crying so loudly people in the hallways could hear her crying. What I felt that moment is beyond words. I had brought a new life into this world. I had become a mother. That is a moment I will never forget.
Both of those days, January 15th and 23rd, are days that have shaped my personality. Those are days that have not only changed my life but also taught me to value life. Everyone experiences loss at some point. I endured the death of my mother at a very early age. It was very traumatic for me. I also brought a new life into this world at 18. Both events have given me a new view on death and life. The death of my mother and the birth of my daughter are two major life-changing events, both of which happened in the month of January. Thus making this a very unpleasant yet joyful month for me.
feel free to comment on this, making any corrections you feel are needed.... it's due monday!!!
