The poll on the right.

I have put a poll up on this blog's right column. Please answer it.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics in 2005 a little over 25% of all deaths were due to heart disease, and 20% due to cancer, with 5% due to strokes.

Have you known someone personally that has passed away from one of the following. When I say personally, I mean someone you had a relationship with.

What has it meant to you, how has your life been changed by it?

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When I was 19 I was on a mission for the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had been out for exactly a year. I had been gone all day and returned back to my apartment and received a phone call from my brother. My mom had a stroke. She had health complications my whole life. She was in a car accident when I was young which caused major complications and lead to her having rheumatory arthritis. These complication, along with having 8 kids, and working part-time caused her to have a lot of stress - my guess of what lead to the stroke.
Now back to that day, she had a stroke but was doing alright. She was in the hospital and recovering. The stroke left one whole side of her paralyzed. She was going to be in a wheelchair. I never did talk to her after this, because after all I was going to see her in a year, and Mother's Day was only a month away and I would talk to her then.
She recovered enough to be moved from the hospital to a nursing type home, where she was learning to sit up by herself and get herself in and out of the wheelchair. Two weeks had passed since the stroke and a 2nd stroke hit her. She didn't survive this one.
I can't tell you what I really felt at that time. Every single emotion that is possible is hoe I felt. I was glad for my mom to get some true rest. I was glad to know that there is a God and that I would see my mom again. I was angry that I didn't call her the week prior, I was angry that God would do this at this point in my life. I was sad for my dad and my younger brothers that lived at home with mom. (I was glad to be in Houston where I could forget about home and just knock doors). I was frustrated that I couldn't do anything about it. I was confused on what I should do, stay in Houston, go home, or just go to the funeral and come back (which is what I did).

My mom was only 50 years old. She was young, but she had done so much with her life. She had raised 8 kids, saw 5 of them get married. She was always there for those around her. I have learned more about my mom due to her passing that I think I could have otherwise. There are things I took for granted, that I am now grateful to realize. When I was a teenager I would get home in the evenings and my mom would be in her sewing/craft room working on some project and I would join her and she would just let me talk and let me be me. We would talk for a couple hours like this each week. She is who taught me to be open about almost everything. I now just hope I can be there like that for my kids.
She also taught my to be happy regardless of what is going on. She had a lot of stuff to be frustrated about, but she didn't let those things distract from the good parts of life. She has also taught my more about God and who He is by passing away. I 'knew' before that families were eternal, but now I KNOW they are.
She taught my to be committed and to give your time to good causes. She was a unit lead for a woman's group (Daughter of Utah Pioneers). She would organize service projects, teach lessons, and visit with the members of this group. She made them all feel included. I hope that I can be like this for the groups I am involved with.
I miss her everyday, but I am glad that I can look back and love that days we had.

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