42: Life, The Universe, & Everything

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If you've ever read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, you know the significance of 42. It's the meaning of Life, The Universe, and EVERYTHING! (If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. It’s so entertaining and is satire at its finest.) Since reading that book, 42 has always been my favorite number. 

So, I knew age 42 was going to be an interesting year. This isn't quite the kind of interesting I was hoping for... but here we are. 

One evening, while helping my 11-year-old daughter with her homework, I had a massive seizure, started convulsing, and lost consciousness. My brave, wonderful daughter called for help and got me to the hospital. I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. It was bleeding and had been causing minor seizures for a while. I just didn’t know that’s what they were before the big ones started. 

Because of the tumor’s location, my bad reaction to the anti-seizure meds, and my age, removal was recommended. When I shared this with my employer, I was laid off from my job. So suddenly, I was a single mom, with no income, headed for brain surgery. Talk about scary. 

I started sharing my story throughout the journey because I was wonderfully surprised by the love and support I received from so many surprising places. I realized that when you are going on any type of journey, the more you open yourself up to love and support, the better that journey is going to be.

So, thank you for coming here. Thank you for being curious. Thank you for being a part of my journey, however large or small a part you play.