Then she fell in her driveway one winter.
After that, she finally admitted she could barely manage the stairs.
Her doctor recommended knee replacement surgery.
Everything sounded routine.
The surgeon explained that she would probably be walking with assistance that same day and home within a couple of nights.
Mom prepared for recovery like she was planning a military operation.
She checked her insurance repeatedly.
She asked for estimated charges in advance.
She moved a bed downstairs.
She installed a handrail.
She stocked her freezer with meals.
She even chose a physical therapist before surgery.
That was Mom.
Always prepared.
I still took the day off work to be with her.
Routine surgery or not, she was my mother.
That morning, the hospital was calm.
We checked in and completed the paperwork.
Eventually, a nurse named Patricia brought us into the pre-op area.
Patricia was warm and experienced, probably in her late forties, and she had the kind of relaxed bedside manner that immediately made people comfortable.
