The House I will never forget ......

            © Elisabeth de Ru
SONY DSLR-A300

Châtelaillon Plage ... seven at night (about). I just took this pic of this lovely house on the beach and then my phone rang. It was my sister to tell me that my mother was taken to the hospital after suffering a - what appeared to be - mild stroke.
I stared at the house ..... WTF?

Having suffered a mild stroke myself, earlier that year (May), I sort of could relate. My father and sister had spoken to mum when the ambulance came and she had confirmed (sort of) that they would see each other again in the hospital. So that was the status at that point. Needed we to come home right away? Not at that moment.

We still had to have dinner. I had a stroke a few months earlier and I was doing fine. So mum would be fine too. So dinner it was, although we kept in touch via Whatsapp and short phonecalls. Martijn and I debated how serious this could be. I was feeling confident, somehow.

When my father and sister arrived at the hospital we spoke again. My mother was undergoing several scans and tests so they had not seen her again after she was taken from the flat by the ambulance. We were all waiting for the results.

After dinner we drove home to our appartement in Salles-sur-Mer when my sister called again. She announced that the neurologist|doctor wanted to speak to me. That's when I knew.

While getting prepped for a scan my mother had suffered another stroke or bleeding and she was not stable enough to go through the scanning-device and/or to be transpoted to Amsterdam to undergo brain surgery. Little later they had to conclude that there was nothing more they could do.

She was still alive but in a coma. If we wanted to have a chance to see her again while still alive we had to come home immediately. Which we did. We arrived in Salles and I started packing while Martijn informed our host Carole. She offered to help which was very sweet. Martijn took my directions (me in the organizing mode right away, of course) and so we packed the car in no-time.

We had planned another week in Bordeaux after Salles. Meeting friends along the way. Instead we started driving home around 23:00. We had our first ever "speeding" ticket somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Salles and Niort, probably driving some 10km faster than was allowed. 

We arrived at the hospital around 09:00 the next morning. Martijn drove all the way home, almost in one go. We only stopped for coffee and to pee. I kept in touch with my family who were at my mothers bedside all the time, of course. I cancelled our appointments with the friends via Whatsapp & PM. 

Arriving in NL around 07:00 in the morning was not a good idea traffic-wise, but what can you do? So it took us another two hours to get to the hospital.

My mother was still alive but I could not reach her anymore. 48 hours after her first stroke she passed away, on Friday early in the evening. At least we were there.

So now you know why this cute house overlooking Châtelaillon Plage will be with me forever.

Taken on: September 5, 2018

Tags:

France

Châtelaillon

Plage

Beach House

The house I will never forget

Mama

Geotagged

Boulevard de la Mer

18:58

SONY DSLR-A300

Summer Holiday 2018 « less

Sets appears in: • FRANCE Summer Holiday 2018

Groups appears in: • Houses and Homes exteriors • visit the world - the travel guide more » • Views: 500 • 'Views: 501 - 600 • French House • Very Small Houses • minimum 500 views • Life Through My Viewfinder • SONY ALPHA CLUB • View my Photo • The Beauty Of France • A Personal Viewpoint • 500 Views Unlimited • France, douce France !! • Team Sony • Views 500-999 • Views 500 and more « less

Camera: Sony DSLR-A300, f/11.0, 1/80 sec, 35mm (=52mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony DSLR-A300
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	35mm (35mm equivalent: 52mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384
Show full info

Stats: 2,360 views / 3 comments