Short Story: Vegan...almost

I can remember the days when my Tracy still lived at home, and she said to me once: “Mom, I’m going to live with you until I’m 35.” It was cute to hear then but has me pondering now that it could have been because when we went out to dinner at our then-favorite restaurant, Charlie Brown’s, she could order anything her little heart desired. And what her little heart desired then was always prime rib with all the trimmings. That went on for many enjoyable years.

Then, as is to be expected, my little girl grew up, got a job, and moved out on her own.

As time went on, her eating habits changed drastically (to me anyway). She became vegan! To me, she was a hard core vegan. That meant no animal products, i.e., meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, etc. She even squeezed lemon juice on her salad rather than a dressing of any kind. Much to my amazement, she was adamant about that diet or style of eating, and that was her bill-of-fare for many years.

She was always consistent about going to the doctor for her regular check ups, but when diagnosed as being anemic, she asked me to come with her to an upcoming appointment at St. Jude’s in nearby Fullerton. I was eager to go as I had been concerned about her eating habits and the possible effects.

When the doctor entered the room wearing a jacket with “Oncology” on the pocket, I tried to keep my cool for her but I was a quiver of nerves. I didn’t let on to her but my heart was hammering, racing and spinning in my chest.

I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I was to hear him say she just needed to incorporate more protein into her diet to remedy the blood problem she was experiencing. She followed the doctor’s orders, and improvement was noticeable soon afterward.

It is now years later and things are somewhat the same, except there is one thing I know for sure…she said goodbye to prime rib and all the trimmings, and hello to chicken and turkey meat. And that’s perfectly okay with me, as I have a healthy, fit, and thriving daughter.  (Oh, and pretty too!)