Next Three Days example essay topic

Narrative Essay I was fourteen years old when I found out my mom needed an operation. Until this point, I was taking life for granted. This operation changed the way I looked at life. It also brought my family closer together. My mother explained to me that her arms and legs had been going numb.

She told me she had gone to a doctor a few weeks ago and they found a bulging disk in her spine. What did this mean? She then continued to explain to me that this disk was pressing against her spinal cord. At this point I started to panic. She said there might be a slight chance that this may paralyze her body.

The doctor told her she needed an operation as soon as possible. He explained to her, even though they were going to remove the disk, there still was a small chance of her ending up paralyzed. She was taking a chance either way. She thought "should I take a chance and go through with this operation or should I wait it out and see what happens". The decision was up to her. Me and my family couldn't help her make that decision.

There was a feeling of helplessness going around between my family that day. The next day she made her decision. She decided to go through with the operation. The doctor explained that she was probably gonna have to stay at the hospital for about three or four days. My dad told us that my mom wanted me and my sister to be there while she was going through surgery. My dad called off from work and me and my sister both took off from school that week.

The hospital was located in Camden, New Jersey. There was no place for us to stay in the hospital, so my dad rented a hotel room for all of us to stay at in the evening. These nights were the worst three nights of my life. I might have gotten four or five hours of sleep each night. I don't think anyone else slept good for those three nights. For the next three days, me, my sister and my dad sat in the waiting room waiting for a chance to see my mom.

My whole family was stressed out. You could see it on everyone's face. My sister was hysterical the whole time we were at the hospital. I think the only time she wasn't crying was when she was asleep.

I couldn't stand watching my sister cry. Me and my dad tried to calm her down, but we didn't have any luck with that. My dad was also upset. He didn't want anyone to know he was worried, but I could tell he was by the look on his face. I felt bad for the both of them, but there was nothing I could do besides talk to them and try to make them feel better.

On the first day, the doctors put my mom through many tests to see how they were going to approach the operation. I felt bad for my mom. I could tell she was nervous. Me, my sister and my dad sat with her in her room for most of the day waiting for the test results. At the end of the day, the surgeons decided that the best thing to do would be to remove the bulging disk in her spine and replace it with a metal plate.

As we sat there, they explained to us how every step of the operation was going to work. It sounded painful. The next day, the surgeons started working on my mom immediately. They sent her to the operating room early in the morning. Me and my family saw her one more time before she went under the knife that morning. The second day had to be the worst out of all of them.

Everyone was worried about her. We all sat in suspense most of the day waiting for the results. When the surgeons finished their last procedure, they sent her back to her room. Finally, it was over. They were finished operating on my mom.

After she regained consciousness, we all went in the room to see her. I wasn't sure what to expect. Was she going to look different? Was she going to remember who I was? As I walked in the room, I saw her lying there in her bed. Her eyes were swollen shut.

They were black and blue. I just started to cry. That was the first time I had cried throughout that period of time. I couldn't stand looking at my mother like that. Why did she have to go through all of that?

It wasn't fair to her. We all sat with her for the rest of the night and made sure she was alright. The next day, at about two o'clock, we took her home. For the next month, she was in a wheelchair and could not walk. The doctors told her she may never be able to walk again. She went to physical therapy three times a week.

I think these were the hardest weeks of her life. After these few weeks, they moved her up to using a walker. With more therapy, she finally got rid of the walker and started using a cane. As time went on, she found out she could walk just fine without the cane. The doctors couldn't believe it.

In a matter of months, she went from sitting in a wheelchair to being able to walk again. It was amazing to watch my mom overcome this handicap. After this whole experience, I learned I had been taking life for granted. I think, sometimes, we take for granted the simple things we can do. It made me realize how thankful I am for my healthy body..