On this Mother’s Day, I want to share how my mother’s strength and vision transformed my life. What I have written here is a condensed version of my journey with my mom. Just six months after my birth, I became very ill and became permanently disabled, which changed my mother’s life. My mother was very determined to get me better so she took me wherever she could for medical treatment while bearing the family responsibilities and dealing with her emotions, as seeing her child sick must have been unbearable. Being the second child, I probably took my brother’s share of time and attention.
When I was old enough to attend school, I was told that I couldn’t join because of my disability. Their justification was how would I manage to go to the washroom. They disagreed with my mother’s offer to come at break periods and take me to the bathroom. Because of this, my mother started teaching me at home as there was no time to sit and feel sorry for ourselves. She quickly found solutions. This was lesson number one from my mom – do not feel sorry, just move on. Eventually I was able to join school in grade 2, as I learned the grade 1 content from my mother at home. I made friends, who supported me so much. This also really helped out my mom. When I was unable to participate in certain activities, my mom played with my friends, including skipping ropes and other games, on my behalf. Because of this, I felt I was involved. She was and still is a fun loving person. I love that about her. Lesson number 2, have fun no matter what.
Life then took a drastic turn when I arrived in the UK and received medical treatment at the age of 12. My Mom stayed with me for 6 months, but then had to go back to India. This meant she had to leave me. It was the toughest decision but she could see a better future for me which I did not understand at the time. I still remember the day she left for the airport to return to India, as I watched her go down the stairs. It broke my heart. I could not imagine her journey home. When I visited her after 5 years, our friends and family told me how she had been missing me and crying. We wrote letters to each other. Although everyone in the UK took great care of me, I missed my family in India like anything and cried every evening until I started going to school and got busy.
After 12 years, we finally reunited in Canada. I now see that the hardest choice was the right one. I am aware that my mother’s strength, foresight, sense of humor, and outlook on life and my circumstances have all contributed to who I am today.
Even now, my Mom still brings my lunch to work. I wonder if she thinks I’m still in school as she sometimes says. Perhaps because I lost a significant portion of my childhood with her. My mom loves to travel and explore the world. It is my goal to find opportunities so she can travel. If possible I travel with her. Everyday I appreciate everything my mom does for me, so mother’s day is no different. She’s my cheerleader and best friend. Sometimes our roles switch, and I can’t help giving advice on taking care of her health. She’s pretty good with her healthy routine but enjoys yummy snacks too. If my ‘advice’ gets too much, she says ‘ok’ ‘ok’. I accompany her to medical appointments, and we make a day out of it by going to a nice coffee shop or simply going home to have tea together. These moments mean more to me than anything else.
“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Abraham Lincoln.
