"Hakuna matata," Mommy!

I think my mommy is great.  I love her so much.  Recently, she has been dealt a couple more blows.  Unfortunately, this is not the first time.  I asked her, "Mommy, why does this happen to you?"  She kissed me on my head and said, "That's just my life, Boomer."  Well, I think it stinks.

Since I joined this family in the fall of 2009, I have witnessed a lot.  In July, 2009, Mommy had her second kidney transplant.  My wonderful Daddy was her donor!  Six days after surgery, older brother, Kirby went to heaven.  In December, 2010, Daddy was in a bad accident.  It almost killed him and it totaled the truck.  Three months later, they were involved in another car accident.  The guy in front of them was committing insurance fraud.  In April, 2011, our sweet little Rudy was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

In October, 2012, Mommy received a cancer diagnosis.  Two surgeries in December and January followed to remove it.  Our dear Rudy went to heaven on January 30, 2013.  He was her little cheerleader.  He witnessed even more than me.  He seemed to know exactly when she needed kisses or a happy dance.  We really miss him, especially Mommy.

The last couple of months Mommy has sprained her foot badly.  To top it off, she found out her pancreas transplant is no longer working.  Rudy joined the family in July 2004 during the long recovery after the pancreas transplant.  Wow!  That is too much!

Through all of this, Mommy still gets up every morning with a smile on her face.  She doesn't want to waste any time because it is precious.  She takes great care of Daddy and me.  Does her best to keep up the house, write blogs and a new book for Rudy's Little World.  That's our tribute to Rudy.  I have heard her sing a song that goes like this, "Happiness runs in a circular motion.  Falters like a little boat upon the sea.  All of our souls are deeper than you can see.  You can be happy if you let yourself be."  She learned it as a young girl.  Singing is a way to cope.  If you are singing, you can turn off your inner thoughts.  Walking and dancing also do the same thing for her while relieving some anxiety.  Win, win!

Last week I heard Mommy and Daddy talking about her first kidney transplant in 1995.  One month out she had a rejection episode and a bad virus called CMV.  That's not good.  She was sick for three months, but recovered.  During this time, Mommy adopted the theme, "Hakuna matata," a phrase from the Lion King.  It means, "no worries."  The tune lends itself to a nice little dance!  This theme has been helpful over the years.  We need it now as she deals with the latest issue.  So, "Hakuna matata, Mommy!"  I'm your cheerleader!

Love,
Boomer! the Mellow Yellow Lab