Techno-science saved my mom

I don't like being super emotional or personal, but when I think of techno-science I think of my mom's heart surgery in 2010; it is the easiest thing for me to write about, even if it is not the easiest thing for me to share.

She had mitral valve prolapse with mitral regurgitation, which basically means the valve regulating her blood flow between two heart chambers did not work properly. Left untreated, she would have died five years after her diagnosis.

Techno-science comes in with her procedure; they sawed her chest open, also referred to as "minimally invasive." Two surgeons in the country knew how to do the procedure to fix the valve instead of replace it with an animal valve, which would have needed to be updated every 10-15 years.

This surgery kept my mom alive, but it also changed who she was as a person. She started valuing her life more; to this day she finds time in her week to work out and keep her heart healthy. She gained courage and divorced my dad, she spent her free time zip lining and meeting new friends, and reconnecting with old friends.

This experience shaped my life in more ways than I can count.

Obviously my parents divorce might have happened with or without my mom's surgery, ergo with or without techno-science. However, the age a child witnesses divorce is crucial. For me it was 7th grade, for my brother it was 3rd grade. I believe I was old enough to understand the situation; I knew it was best for my parents to be separated. I had my mom as a positive, independent, strong female role model, teaching me I don't need a man to be happy.

We adjusted our lifestyle to be without my dad, as I only saw him every other weekend. My brother and I made our own meals since my mom would get home late, I took over mowing the lawn, my mom learned how to paint walls and fix things in our house.

This was also the turning point of how I viewed my own reality. Prior to the surgery, we were the "perfect" or typical American middle class white family, the only thing missing was the white picket fence. It was just me, my dad, my mom, my brother, and our dog. I felt like nothing in my life could go wrong. Even when my mom was having surgery, it did not cross my mind that the surgeons could make a mistake, they could find something unexpected, something could kill her. I felt immune to any misery so it never occurred to me that my life would not go the way I planned. The pedestal I put my family on fell apart.

I learned how to deal with pain because of this experience; I learned how to cope with difficult situations. Techno-science saved my mom and shaped who I am today.