When we celebrated my mom's birthday that day, it was one of the best days she had while she was up there. Things were starting to look good and she was feeling "better". At least it seemed she had a great day when we left that evening. The next day, on November 1st, my mom took a turn for the worst. She was facing some serious complications and ended up being on a vent for a week. For the first few days, I stayed away. My dad was in constant contact with me, and he thought it would be best if Ben and I did not see her like this. We had a great memory of her on her birthday, and we were clinging onto that. We decided to head back to Chicago a few days later. I was terrified of what was about to be before my eyes. I have never seen anyone on a vent, and who wants to see their mother in that state?!!!! Mom had tubes and wires coming out of her like she was the next Frankenstein! As we took in the information from the doctors, they were going to preform a surgery that gave her a 50/50 chance of coming out of it alive. With more prayers going up, the blessings kept on coming down! Mom came out of the surgery fine (minus a colon and all her large intestines) but she was still with us!!!! Praise the Lord!!! Long story short, she had a long road of recovery and changes ahead of her. She was released to come home on December 15th! It was an extra special Christmas for our family that year! Mom returns to Northwestern for checkups with the doctors every few weeks. As of now, they are not seeing any more myloma in her body! Praise God! Her numbers are looking great and she is back to work full time!!! So when we celebrate her birthday, it is always a great time for our family. We remember to give the honor and glory to God because he was with Mom every step of the way!! Needless to say, he was also with the rest of us because we needed him just as much!!
Over the stretch of the next year, God blessed my older brothers and I with babies!!! My brother Luke and his wife Kate had Olivia in August of 2011, Ben and I had Isaiah in September of 2011, and Levi and Laura had Annabelle in December of 2011!!! My mom (and dad) was thrilled to be able to meet her grand babies! She loves to spoil them, rock them to sleep, and kiss them all over!!! That's what Grandma's are for right!!!!?! I know that my children will be told all about their Grandma's journey and how blessed they are to have each and every day with her! Happy 50th Birthday Mom!! We love you!!!
Now, on to some more cheerful and exciting news!!! My mom now has to share her birthday with our newest addition my niece Martynn Joy Goetz!! Martynn is the 18th grand baby on the Goetz side (our new addition due in April will be #19)!!! She was born yesterday morning, and joins her big brother Carson, sisters Amaleah, Alivia, Ainsley, and big brother Oakley. We are so excited to meet her, but we will let mommy rests a few more days!! She needs a break after caring for 6 kids!! :) As we gathered at my sister-in-laws yesterday for our Halloween evening, it was such a blessing to see Isaiah with his Goetz Family cousins! No matter what side of the family they come from, I know Isaiah will be loved by his grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. God has blessed our families beyond measure and that is what we celebrate when it comes to Halloween!!!!
Mom and my cousin Breckyn April 2011
Aunt Shelly (mom's perfect stem cell donor match), Mom, Uncle Tim, and Dad celebrating the big 50!!!!
Martynn Joy Goetz 1 day old!
