Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Granny

10 days ago I received a phone call from my sister saying I had to get to the hospital right away. My 91 year old grandmother was very sick and doctors were saying she had, at best, two hours to live. She's been in and out of the hospital the last few years so I wasn't all that surprised to get that call. I was prepared as I could be to handle the situation but still, I felt a touch of panic come over as I made the drive. The hospital is about an hour away from where I live and so my fear was by the time I got there and found the room, it might be too late to say my goodbyes.

But that hour drive also gave me time to think and compose my thoughts. I was able to remind myself of just how tough my grandmother really is. Like I said, she's been in and out of the hospital many times in the last few years and I can think of at least a half dozen times where it looked like she wouldn't be able to regain her health but without fail she would defy medical logic and doctor predictions. After reminding myself of that, I knew I'd get to her bedside in time and my panic vanished.

When I got to her room I was surprised to find, not a gravely ill woman clutching to life, but someone smiling, laughing, and requesting chocolate candy. Most of my family was already there and she was clearly enjoying all the attention. A Reverend from the hospital had been lingering and after a while suggested she lead us all in a group prayer. I guess it was supposed to be a sort of last rites prayer in the eyes of the reverand because she spoke of having family together at this dificult time and the importance of cherishing these final moments. When it was all over I noticed my grandmother looking around at the room with a puzzled expression on her face as if to say, "what's all this fuss about?"

Those two hours came and went and as of right now, March 2nd, she's still with us. Her condition has fluctuated between quite good, to bleak, and then back to good again. The doctors have warned us not too get optimistic, that the end is near, that there are just too many issues to address... that at her age and strength, its only a matter of time. She's now back at home thanks to the good people at Hospice, but as anyone with experience in these matters can tell you, its not a good sign when Hospice is involved in your medical treatment.

I took a couple pics of her last night as my mother was feeding her dinner. She had shown very little in terms of physical strength or awareness most of the night (nights are tough for her), but when we teased her that she had oatmeal on her face that might mess up her pretty smile, she was able to lift her hand to wipe her mouth off and then even gave a little giggle as I took the picture.

I don't know how much longer she can hold on, but I know this... she was raised in the mountains of West Virginia... during the depression... she's been through more than her share of hardships and difficulties... And she's going to fight until the end. That's what Granny does.



Granny

2 comments:

  1. Great post. My gma is going similar issues and what makes it worse is that this will be the first year in 13 that I wont visit. This is the part of getting older that sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your grandma seems like a strong woman. I hope she's comfortable as she fights to the end. Glad your family could be there by her side.

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