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In October of the year 2000, my mother paid me a visit in Panama City, Florida. November is my birthday month and my mom and I decided we would spend some time together. Mom was to stay in Panama City for about a month for a vacation. One of the most favorite things that my mother loves to do is shop so we had every place mapped out in which we were to go shopping. We spent most of the first weekend together doing so much and we had a great time.

Later that weekend in the evening, my mother told me of some strange pains in her legs that have been bothering her for about a year. I was not very happy with my mother for not letting me know that she was having problems and I became very concerned because she was in pain at that very moment. Mother was feeling poorly and I could see the pain written all over her face so I had to decide whether I needed to go back home with her, take her to the Dr in Panama City or what. Later I decided to take her to the Dr in Panama City because the pain became worse. I had given her some Tylenol which did not help her at all. Things began to look a bit grim and I prayed in my heart that everything will be back to normal.

Mom told me that her Dr told her the pain was arthritis but this did not seem like the case to me. Well to make a long story as short as I possibly can, my mother was diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease and she had a very severe circulation problem in her legs. The circulation problem stemmed from smoking cigarettes. I never knew cigarettes could cause anything except lung cancer. I quit smoking cold turkey with the help of God in sincere prayer. Mother ended up not going back home for awhile. I was not about to let her go home and be alone until I got to the root of what we had to do about this diagnosis.

Many test were performed and these test went from days to weeks and then on into two months of pain, suffering and more test for mom. I felt helpless; I wanted so desperately to help her ease the pain. The medication from the Dr just wasn't helping at all. After about a month of me taking care of mom and trying to help here become mobile on her feet, things got so bad that she had to be admitted into the hospital. Later, it was told to me by the Dr that mother's leg would have to be amputated because her veins were beyond repair.
Nothing could have prepared me for this moment and I didn't want to believe this so I got more opinions only to get the same recommendations from other physicians.

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