December 2000 - Life changed quickly

December of 2000 my life changed quickly and dramatically and started taking me in a direction that was totally unfamiliar to me. I was in my room wrapping Christmas presents - wrapping paper, boxes and ribbons were all over my bed. It was a mess but one I was happy to be surrounded by. Then the phone rang. My father called me to tell me that he believed my mom had broken her leg after falling from a step ladder. Dad had suffered a stroke years earlier so was not able to drive. He called the EMS and I met Mom at the hospital. She had indeed fractured her leg in several places. She needed surgery and had to stay in the hospital awhile. When she returned home she was in a wheel chair (for a month or two). It was hard because Dad was not able to care for her by himself. Home Health did come in a bit and that helped but so began a new journey for me - taking care of my parents. I had to (and willingly) help care for them while still working, taking care of my family and still trying to have a life. It was not easy to we all got through it.