Those Three Words..
Updated: Apr 17, 2019
"Lis, mom died"..I will never forget that day. I was 8 months pregnant when I received the news. I remembered hearing the phone ring at about 5 a.m but didn't bother to answer it. I figured someone must have had the wrong number if they were calling THAT early in the morning! Little did I know, it was the hospital trying to reach my Godmother (who had temporary custody of me) regarding the passing of my mother.
A few weeks before she died, I was admitted into the hospital for pre-term labor. Not long after being admitted, my mother was rushed to the same hospital for alcohol and drug-related complications. My brother, who was 15 at the time, stopped in to visit her in the Intensive Care Unit, then came down to Labor and Delivery to visit me. " Mummy doesn't look good", he said. "Really??", I thought. He didn't think it was a good idea for me to see her in the state she was in. "Ok, I'll just see her when she gets out".
Shortly after I was discharged from the hospital, my mother died. I remember my Godmother calling me to come to get the phone. It was Judy, our social worker who was assigned to my family through the Department of Social Services. " Lis, mom died"...I felt numb, threw the phone, then started to cry. I thought I would see her again, but at that moment, I knew I wouldn't.
My mother was 33 years old at the time. She still had been drinking heavily and using crack-cocaine. As a matter of fact, her usage increased after we were removed from our home. Someone told me that on the night she had gotten sick, she fell and regurgitated. Later, I learned that she had walking pneumonia. She literally poisoned her system from using drugs and alcohol and eventually suffered from cardiac arrest.
Today marks the 30th year anniversary of her death. Although it's hard to believe it's been that long ago, I can recall the day as if it were just yesterday. That was a pivotal point in my life. I had NO idea how my life would turn out. As a matter of fact, I often wondered if life was worth living.
Excerpts from: "Lisa's Journey" Untitled R.I.H. Mummy, Love your daughter Subscribe @LisaCarterSpeaks.Com