It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

By Allison Beasley When tragedy strikes a person’s life, inevitably one’s life changes. Those changes can either define your life negatively or you simply try and learn from it. In January my 68-year-old father went to see his doctor with some mild stomach discomfort. He was immediately hospitalized and diagnosed with a rare form of bile duct cancer. We lost him 12 days later. I was devastated. Immediately my life shifted to helping my grieving mother try to put the pieces of her life back together. She gradually became ill herself. More devastation. The six months after my father died was the most challenging time of my life. I became a caregiver to my mother and no matter where I was I felt like I was neglecting someone – if I was with my mom, I felt I was neglecting my husband and children. If I was with them or working, I felt I should be with my mom. In August, she became so ill that we called Hospice in. My mother died at the end of August, and I was left wondering how all of this happened. When I rang in the new year on January 1, I never realized 2016 would be my own private hell. It was time to do some soul-searching.