There’s a young girl who lives up the road from us (we’ll call her M.) who will be having surgery at 8am in the morning. It isn’t minor. For several years she’s been having seizures and for the longest time doctors were trying to tell her parents that she was putting on an act, that nothing was wrong with her. After several tests late last year, just before Christmas, they discovered the cause of the seizures. She has a large tumor on her brain. They suspect it’s been there for over 9 years because that’s around the time that her headaches and seizures began.

The prognosis isn’t very good at all. They say there’s only a 50/50 chance that she’ll survive the surgery. If she does, there’s a 50/50 chance that she’ll a) be left in a vegetative state or b) have to learn everything all over again, things like walking and talking. M. is only 18 years old and such a sweet girl. Her parents spoke with my mother in laws best friend a couple of nights ago and said that she (M.) was coming up with all sorts of reasons not to go in for the surgery, one excuse being that she’d be missing One Tree Hill (she checked into the hospital a couple of days ago and has no TV in the room). Jo said he’d burn it off for her so that when she came home she could watch it. She must be absolutely terrified and I imagine, isn’t sleeping much tonight at all.

You can’t help the thoughts that dance around in your head.. all of the “what ifs” and so forth. I honestly hope and pray for the best and that by some miracle of a chance she not only survives but isn’t left in a vegetative state after. She has SO much life to live yet. So much she can accomplish and so much to look forward to (prom, graduation, college.. being young.. that’s not including distant future things like careers and families). I can’t imagine how hard it must be for not only the family but M. as well.

It just goes to show you though.. life is definitely short and none of us know what will happen to us tomorrow or if we’ll even be granted a tomorrow. I don’t request this often but please keep M. in your thoughts/prayers/whatever it is that you do to remain positive.