When I was 27, I purchased my very first home. It was an old house that needed a lot of work and my Mom was the first one to pitch in. She arrived with toolbox in hand and started helping me tear out an old plaster and lathe wall. Later that day she began to feel sick. She broke out in a cold sweat and said she just needed to take a cool bath. I was worried, but I ran the bath and helped her get in the tub. The bath didn’t help much but Mom insisted she just needed to lie down, so I helped her get to the bedroom and put her to bed. By this time she was so weak she could barely walk. I suggested we call the doctor but she refused, again insisting that she would be OK if she could just rest.

Thankfully, my friend Mary just happened to be visiting that particular weekend and she convinced me to call an ambulance, despite my mother’s objections. Mom was having a heart attack. I missed all the signs, and if it weren’t for Mary, Continue reading →