November 30, 2011, changed my mom’s life forever. That day, she had a massive, life-threatening stroke. On life support for three days, my dad, my brother, and I kept vigil by her bedside as doctors moved in and out running tests, changing tubes, and checking vitals. As they huddled and whispered, the looks on their faces gave away the grim possibilities they believed lay ahead. The first day, one of the doctors met with Dad, Chad, and me, to have the dreaded conversation that you never want to have about a loved one. Especially your own mother. If things didn’t get better, and it wasn’t looking like they would, would we have to make that final decision for her? Minutes, hours, and days passed and we began to see small improvement and it gave us all hope. She came out of unconsciousness and off life-support. Hurray! But what did this mean? What would life look like for her? For us? Would she be paralyzed, unable to speak, unable to function independently as she always had?