My mum and I rarely see each other apart from Sundays, we've both got pretty busy lives. Mum works two jobs and also runs sequence dancing evenings with her partner during the week, she doesn't ever stop and I'm quite worried about her health.
Before I was born, my mum and dad both worked at Lewis's department store in the town centre (which shut down and became various places over the years, like Woolworths and is now Poundland - says a lot for Blackpool). My dad worked on the audio and electrical department as a salesman with all the latest gadgets, my mum worked across the floor on the shoe department. They were friends before the got together, then eventually the married and had me.
Dad was never really healthy from birth, he'd been born double breach and always walked funny on his left leg. Over time my dad feel ill to Muscular Distrophy and it started to take its toll on his walking. At first he only needed to use a stick, which meant that he had to leave work and claim disability, my mum also left to become his carer. A few years later when I was still quite young, my dad got Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and had to go for treatment.
My mum's always been a very active person and she's had a lot on her plate in the past; even as a child she's had to look after things as my grandma suffered from Bipolar disorder as a child and it really took its toll on the whole family, mostly on my mum and her brother and sister. After she left home and married my dad, Alfred Anthony Williams or 'Tony' as he was better known to everyone, she'd then taken on looking after him during his illness whilst also trying to bring up me.
My mum, Lesley, was the DIYer in the house, the cook, the cleaner and between all this she had to find time to have fun with me. Things haven't really been much easier after my father passed away when I turned eighteen; after I went away to university mum had to swap her part time job for a full time one just so that she could afford to pay the bills. My grandma has only gotten worse over the years so between me (again!), the jobs and caring (yet again) she still had no time to herself.
Things did turn around for the better with her a couple of years after dad passed, she met Dave and he really does look after her the best he can. Dave is older than my mother and although I'm sure he would never let it happen, I'm always worried about her going back into caring yet again...
She lives in a beautiful little bungalow in St Annes, away from the 'horrors' of Blackpool and the shambles of what Keswick road has now become. I walk past my old house every now and then and I always feel so emotional about the whole thing, such a mix of happy and sad memories from that place, I always said if it was for sale again I might have bought it, but who knows.
Mum suffers from RSI in both her wrists and arms, she's had surgery but unfortunately the thing with RSI is that it will only get worse again with use and mum has NEVER been a lazy person, she's incredibly independent and always likes to be doing something. She's now into her fifties and still working just under sixty hours a week, she doesn't want to rely on Dave as it would kill her and really knock her pride but still, every time I see her she's tired and exhausted and I wish there were something more that I could do.
One day when mum has exhausted herself so much and she really can't do anymore, I will be there to offer the care, love and support that she has given so many of us over the years. She has touched so many lives with her beautiful and caring soul that I'm sure any of us would do everything we can for her.
I just want her to know that I love her more than anything and there is nothing that I would do for her.
No comments:
Post a Comment