She was 45 when she was diagnosed with high blood pressure. 

At 60, she was told she had diabetes. 

A few months after her 70 birthday, the doctors found a mass in her uterus. 

10 years. That’s how long it had been since she had visited the OBGYN – or so she told me. I had urged her for years to go but she didn’t see the need.

15. That's how many pills my mom took a day to control her hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and arthritis among other ailments.

50. That's how many pounds she was overweight.

2. That's how many surgeries she had had.

6 months to 2 years. That's how much time doctors gave her after her second round of chemotherapy, which did not work.

6 weeks. That's when they told her to come back for a PET scan to see the progression.

40 minutes. That's how long it took her to walk from the living room to her the hallway bathroom.

3.5 weeks. That's how much time elapsed before I had to call hospice.

5 days. That's how many days she lasted in hospice.

7:24. That's the time she took her last breath and slipped away from our lives.

It is these numbers that I remember, that seem to haunt me as I want to learn from this experience. I am determined to measure my health, my life, and my time with my children with numbers that paint a healthy life. 

42. That's how old I will turn next month.

3. That's the number of reasons I have to change my life and be healthier. For myself, for my son Lucien, and my daughter, Isabella.

How will you measure your health in 2015?