It has been a difficult last few days…

My grandfather has been sick for quite a while now and was moved a hospice center last week. I was able to have dinner with him last Monday and see him again a couple of times over the weekend. When I saw him on Monday, I was taken back at how not himself he looked/was. Then when I saw him over the weekend, I realized that Monday was not that bad. Or maybe it was bad, but it had gotten worse. Jon and I were able to bring Aedan by to see him on Saturday and he was fairly alert but not himself. He is on so much medicine to keep him comfortable. He was able to say hi and bye to us but that’s about it. Since then he has gotten worse. He is not able to respond to anyone.

He is such a fighter. He has been on oxygen for 14 years. When they put him on oxygen, they told my grandmother that people live an average of 5-7 years on it. He lived 14. My grandparents have been married for 65 years. They truly represent what a marriage should be. I remember at their 50th anniversary party, my grandfather said he would do it all again and not change a thing. My grandmother has carried for him this whole time. When he told her he was becoming too much for her, she said I would take care of you 8 days a week and 25 hours a day if I could. She is the reason he has been able to hold on for so long. He was able to see 4 new great grandbabies born this year.

We all know his time here is coming to an end. It is hard. It is hard to see my grandmother go through this. It is hard to see my dad and mom, and aunt and uncle go through this. It is hard to see my cousins and my sister go through this. It is hard for me to go through this. We know the day is coming. You can be prepared, but you can never be ready. It is likely that in the next few days he will leave this life. Even though we all know he will be in a better place, a place where he is not in pain, it will still be hard.

Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers this week. We would appreciate it.

 

-Lauren-