A Granny Like No Other

On Saturday October 17, my granny left her earthyly body and joined her Heavenly Father. She had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and only 3 weeks ago had a successful procedure to remove the tumor. After her surgery, she stayed at my Aunt Barb's house so someone would always be available to her. Everything seemed to be going so well. A week ago today she had a check up with her surgeon and, although he expressed some concern with her platelet count, he seemed to be pleased with the way she was recovering overall.

Saturday seemed like any other day. She had not complained greatly about the amount of pain she was in and seemed to have more of an appetite than usual. But Saturday was not like any other day. It was the day in which she would have a massive heart attack.

I received the call from my dad who informed me that my aunt and cousin Lindsay were taking her to the ER in Yukon...and that things didn't look good. He let me know that she was having a heart attack, but because of the major surgery she had had only a few weeks earlier, the medical staff could not give her any medicine as this would cause her to bleed out immediately. I rushed to the hospital. When I arrived, she was still in cardiac arrest. She appeared to be gasping for air, but we were informed that this was just a bodily reaction to the dying process. They had her on an oxygen mask and were pumping her full of pain meds so she would not feel anything. It was the most surreal feeling standing there watching my grandmother die. There was nothing anyone could do...and there was nothing I could do.

Barb asked me to pray. We all joined hands and I began to speak to God. I prayed for peace. I prayed for our family. And just as I began to pray to commit her spirit to Him, her blood pressure bottomed out and her heart began to stop. If you were in that room, there would be no question in your mind that God is real.

They removed the oxygen mask. Her body had completely relaxed. She was no longer in cardiac arrest. Her heart was no longer beating. She was gone.

She was the kind of granny that wouldn't let my parents spank me. She was the kind of granny that would let me eat Kentucky Fried Chicken in the middle of the night. She was the kind of granny who loved completely unconditionally. She was the kind of granny who would give you ANYTHING she had. And if she didn't have it to give...she'd find it. She was the kind of granny who would listen...just listen. She wouldn't judge or question. She would just listen. Sometimes I felt like she was the only person who really listened to me.

She will be missed by so many people, one being my oldest son Payton. He had a special relationship with her. They were very close and she thought he could do no wrong. Every time we went to Yukon, he would ask to go to Granny's. He enjoyed her and her home just as I had in my youth. There was something about going to her house and having nothing expected of you. At her house, you could just be. He would go there, eat what ever his heart desired, watch cartoons, and play with the toys that had accumulated there. Their bond was strong and I am so thankful they had a chance to get to know each other.

Granny, I love you. More than you will ever know.