Death and Dying
It seems like I pay more attention to death and dying when it is so close as it is now. I'm not throwing out anything prophetic about Grandma: she's doing great and she had a great day on Sunday when I last saw her, but I know that we are losing her on a daily basis, little by little.
Also, one of the residents at Hillcrest, Duane, died last Saturday, partly due to the flu that eventually set in to pneumonia. He couldn't shake it off, and went downhill fast. That could of happened to Grandma and I half prepared myself for it, but she's tough and feisty as I have mentioned before, and she came through it fine. I even got an "I love you" before I left. That's something she hasn't said in awhile, and I wonder if I'll hear it again.
We lost her long ago, and it has been a grueling process. Some of the mechanics still exist, her brain likes to sing songs, hold hands and look through the newspaper, although it doesn't know why. I like to think she's in there, just for my own comfort.
Also, one of the residents at Hillcrest, Duane, died last Saturday, partly due to the flu that eventually set in to pneumonia. He couldn't shake it off, and went downhill fast. That could of happened to Grandma and I half prepared myself for it, but she's tough and feisty as I have mentioned before, and she came through it fine. I even got an "I love you" before I left. That's something she hasn't said in awhile, and I wonder if I'll hear it again.
We lost her long ago, and it has been a grueling process. Some of the mechanics still exist, her brain likes to sing songs, hold hands and look through the newspaper, although it doesn't know why. I like to think she's in there, just for my own comfort.
posted by H at 8:30 AM
2 Comments:
Holly--I have to think this, too--that there's a kernal of their self that can't be touched by this disease. I also think that your grandmother is so feisty because she has something to live for: her wonderful family.
Hi Holly,
One of the many horrible things about this disease is that death could be right at your door OR it could be a year away. My grandmother hung on for 9 months after reaching the point where your grandmother is.
One of the good things about the disease is that by the time that Grandma died a couple of weeks ago, I had told her everything that I had wanted to tell her. "The long goodbye" they call it, and I did feel like every time I saw her, it was an opportunity to do just a little bit more of that goodbye, as every time I saw her, she had slipped away a little more.
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