Part 1: When a Carefree Visit Became a Fight for Life
What was meant to be a simple, joyful visit became something none of us could have anticipated. In a matter of weeks, life shifted from shared meals and everyday routines to hospital rooms, medical terms, and a new role I wasn’t prepared for but stepped into anyway — caregiving. This is the beginning of a journey that taught me how fragile life truly is, and how love shows up when everything else falls apart.
My mom arrived in Chicago in July of last year (2025) for what was supposed to be a leisurely, pleasant, carefree three-month visit. Instead, it became an almost literal life-or-death situation.
She became very ill during the first week of September, and from that moment until the day we left to return her to her hometown, it was an uphill battle. Two long hospital stays followed, one of them a full week in the ICU. After a blood transfusion, a colonoscopy, an endoscopy, a chemical stress test, and what felt like endless testing, she was finally released the second time and discharged from the hospital.
After multiple follow-ups with specialists, a very strict diet at home, and a LOT of special care, she was eventually given the okay to travel. However, flying was still not an option due to a cardiac episode she experienced during her second hospitalization.
For those who don’t know the full scope of my mom’s “special abilities”: she is legally blind, has scoliosis and a VERY bad back, had hip surgery not long ago due to a serious fall, and has a not-so-strong heart. We knew — and I certainly knew — that any travel journey, short or long, would not be for the faint of heart.
After many conversations, much debating, and consultations with her cardiologist here in Chicago, along with my brother, we decided I would take her back home by train.
So… Amtrak it was.
A 38-hour journey. Yes, you read that right. Thirty-eight hours.
I have traveled by Amtrak many times in the past and have always had wonderful experiences. This time, though, I was beyond drained — two months of nonstop worry, full-time caregiving, and emotional exhaustion, all while maintaining my regular work schedule. We survived the hospital, but I didn’t yet know the journey home would test me just as much.
This was the moment everything changed — when a visit turned into a fight for life, and I stepped into caregiving without knowing how much it would ask of me. The hospital doors eventually closed behind us, but the journey wasn’t over. The hardest part was still ahead.
Stay tuned for part 2 next Monday. ❤️
