Can it get worse?

It started around Easter when the kids got runny noses. We thought it was just allergies (the pollen down here is already turning my car a sickly shade of yellow-green), but when I started getting the same symptoms plus exhaustion and aches and pains, we discovered it was the flu. I felt terrible, but being a stay at home to two small children, it is very difficult to take time off to rest and recuperate (my 2 year old daughter did her best to help however; she made me a lovely pick-nick of plastic fruit and vegetables, and her homemade tea).

After a week of aches, pains, and breathing through our mouths, the kids and I started feeling better. Then Tuesday afternoon my husband called me from work, telling me that he had just experienced some chest pain, and left arm numbness. My first thought was that he had a heart attack, and then that it was probably nothing, after all, he is young, and in good physical condition. After a long day in the emergency room a CT scan revealed fresh blood on his brain. Another day in the hospital and a MRI later revealed an AVM (a congenital malformation of blood vessels) in his brain had burst, and he would likely need brain surgery. He also needed to be transfered to a bigger hospital with neurologists who routinely deal with AMVs.

An incident like this really puts the fragility of life into perspective. My husband literally could have died, just suddenly, without warning, dropped dead at work Tuesday afternoon. He still could. Before Tuesday my biggest problem was running out of tissues. Now, just two days later my husband is about to have brain surgery.

We are not guaranteed our next breath. Life is not a given. The young and healthy can die suddenly and unexpectedly. While I knew all of this before, I had never been confronted with the reality of these statements. So I asked earlier, can it get worse? The answer is yes. As cliche as it may sound, enjoy the moment, it may be your last.