Bad News…

Found out yesterday that my step-mom has lung cancer. It seems her breast cancer has come back with a vengeance, but has now decided to attack her lungs.

She has not been given a good prognosis. In fact, she has been given a year with chemotherapy. It’s possible that she could live longer, but it’s not likely.

My step-mom is a special lady. You see, I find myself putting the qualifier “step” in front of “mom”, but the reality is that she was my mom. I called her mom and though we didn’t always see eye to eye, we eventually accepted each other as family. Strange how bonds can form from the least likely links.

It’s important to note that I didn’t have a “normal” childhood. My father stole me from my mother when I was very young, and so I never had contact with my mother (we eventually reunited when I was 25). My father was and is a merchant seaman. He works on large ships as a marine electrician. What that meant for me was that I basically grew up with whomever was his current wife or whomever he was paying to take care of me at the time.

My current step-mom married my dad when I was 14. (I say current because she is, in fact, my third step-mom and my seventh caretaker.) As you can imagine it was a turbulent time for me. It was made all the more turbulent when my father was forced to move to Brazil because of a legal matter. So at the age of 15 I was without any blood relatives living near me. It was just me, my step-mom, and my step-sister. I lived there until I left for Orlando seven years later. Seems like a lifetime ago.

So my step-mom is dying. She is still cheerful and somehow still slips a few jokes into conversation. Like I said… she’s a special lady. And people wonder where I get my jovial manner. 😉

Now I have to find out how work will accommodate me leaving for an extended period of time if that becomes necessary. I should be able to telecommute from anywhere. There aren’t any technical hurdles that I can’t overcome. It just depends on how much my boss is willing too bend company policy.