I’m sitting with my father and the doctor as we discuss my mother’s prognosis and all of the possible side-effects and outcomes of the stroke she suffered. My father is mute, as silent today as he was yesterday and has been since he sank into the chair and cried. I’m taking point with the doctor, throwing my father small glances every now and then to see if he’s all right. Understanding, Doctor Quo addresses me. “It’s what your mother was originally diagnosed with. Two years ago during a routine physical exam, it was discovered there were lapses in your mother’s memory. Further tests drew the conclusion that she had suffered what we call a TIA or mini stroke — a temporary clot that keeps oxygen from getting to certain parts of the brain. How many she suffered and over what period of time was never conclusively determined, but the best estimate was somewhere between five and eight in a one year period, which ultimately led to several larger ones in the past year.”
