A Christmas Memory
When I was a baby, I was in hospital for weeks in the run-up to Christmas, receiving treatment for eye cancer and complications arising from the treatment. My mother had no time to buy Christmas gifts or food for Christmas dinner. Her focus was on caring and advocating for me.
My father worked hard every day to keep the family solvent and take care of my active toddler sister. Spare time was invested in trips on public transport into London to see my mother and me in the hospital (he couldn’t drive as he was totally blind due to retinoblastoma in infancy). He had no spare energy or time to buy a tree and decorate the house – didn’t even know if we’d be home for Christmas.
Finally, my parents learned that I would be released from hospital on December 23rd. My mother was suddenly panicked – what would she do, how would she prepare everything in just one day, with a still recovering baby and an excited toddler? She shared her worries with a close family friend as she prepared for the return home. Imagine her surprise and gratitude when her friend replied that everything was already arranged – our entire family was to spend Christmas with this dear lady and her husband.
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