The mother of one of my students has terminal cancer. The girls out all last week cuz her mom had gotten really really bad and they had check three different towns hospitals before they found a place that could take her because apparently the hospitals were full.
She was out for a week until her mom stayed alive and she came back yesterday. I gave her a card that several of the teachers it's signed and ask her to have lunch with me today. She came in and we got to talk for a while. I told her a little bit about my own mom's dad and what it was like with her being sick when I was the girls age. I had rehearsed it a lot in my mind when it came down to actually talking about it I almost didn't think I can do it.
The last time I spoke to anyone in detail about my mom's death and told all the things that I talked about today was probably 35 years ago.
I'm glad I did it though. I think it would have meant a lot to me if anyone had spoken to me like that when I was that age and going through what I went through.
Hopefully she knows she can come to me if she needs someone to talk to now.