Catholic Singles

ALL I WANT TO DO IS WALK
BY: MARK ANTHONY ROSOLOWSKI


When my wife was in the last stages of her illness, she still continued to go to Physical Therapy, it did not matter how sick she felt, how tired she was or how weak she felt, she had to get to Physical Therapy. Three days a week I would get home from work, change her diaper, clean her up and get her into the car to go to Physical Therapy. Every day that I took her to Physical Therapy she would look at me and say, “All I want to do is walk.”

We would get to her Physical Therapy appointment and she would go through her exercises. I would be standing or sitting by her side helping her with whatever I could. I found it to be a pleasure to help her; I helped more each time we went to her Physical Therapy appointment, so I would know more so that I could help her at home. At the end of each session she would struggle to get up on the parallel bars and slowly take steps, I could tell she was in pain, tears would be in her eyes but she continued to work on her walking. She never once complained or cursed what was wrong with her, but she continued to say time and time again, “All I want to do is walk.” I knew she would do it.

The day did come when the illness overtook her, it was a fight for the disease to win, Donna fought with all her might, but she was weakened and was unable to breathe properly. In the hospital they had to put her on a ventilator, when I went to see her she could not talk but I was able to read her lips as she mouthed, “All I want to do is walk.” After a few days she could no longer swallow and they inserted a feeding tube into her. She was being kept alive on the liquid they put in through the tube. When I would go see her, she would still be smiling, her eyes would shine as she mouthed the words, and “All I want to do is walk.” She was in a Rehabilitation Center, as I watched her losing the battle, and finally she slipped into unconsciousness. She was taken to the Emergency Department, as I prayed the Rosary, I was asking for a few more hours with Donna so I could say good bye and I love you to her one more time. She did regain consciousness long enough for us to share a few stories and laugh. Donna, told me to go home that she was tired and needed to sleep, as we kissed, she mouthed, “All I want to do is walk.”

About a year after her death I was in the hospital, I had suffered a heart attack and a stroke, one night I had nearly died, my blood pressure had dropped to almost nothing, my heart rate was slow and I was barely breathing. As I was in this state I did see Donna, she was bathed in a brilliant light, she was holding someone’s hand that I could not see, but what struck me was that she was walking, she did not need her canes or her walker she was walking without support. She was telling me to go back it was not my time, I guess that I did go back since I did wake up in the hospital room, but I do remember she did what she said she wanted to do she was walking. I always knew she would walk again.

So whenever I am feeling a little depressed with my own health issues, I think back to Donna, and her drive and determination, I hear her say, “All I want to do is walk.” So I repeat those words and I know that I can overcome any obstacle that may come my way, I will walk, I will make Donna proud of me, I will never give up and stop. I will walk. As a matter of fact I will stand up to any challenge that God has set before me and I will succeed.