My Grandfather is about to leave this world. Will be away and need help, please read

[MiakodaWDW]

Hey ya'll....

The stubborn, refuses-to-leave-this-world Grandfather ("Pop" to everyone, even non-family) who has been hanging valiantly to life ever since 1995 when he was given 6 months to live by the hospital, Gywnn Wilson Merritt is the proud Patriarch of the Merritt family, with 4 kids, 7 grandkids, and 3 great-grandchildren (the oldest great-grandson just started COLLEGE!) He has had a long and happy life, and we are all proud to say we are part of his bloodline :)

Unfortunately, he entered the hospital about a month ago for another tumble to the ground that resulted in a broken arm. The 90-year old has been in the hospital ever since, b/c the doctors also found many other (internal) problems, and he has been in a rest home for the past week being cared for by his wonderful kids, especially my strong Mother. Due to esophagus problems, he has been unable to eat food for about a week, and has not had water for about 4 days other than tiny sips here and there (about once a day). This man once, about 20 years ago, told a funeral plot salesman who bothered him on the phone that he "didn't have any plans on dying, ever!" He has proven this to us many times over in those 20 years :)

However, the power of prayer and good family can only go so far, since one cannot live long without food and water (the fact that he is still with us as I type is nothing short of a miracle, one of several we have witnessed from this man regarding his health). Everyone is planning for the imminent peaceful, painless time when he will fall asleep (as he has been doing so much of lately) and wake back up on the Other Side of life. Luckily, last night he was of sound mind enough to squeeze my Mother's hand and say quietly, "I love you too, Betsy Wetsy" (his childhood nickname for her....and lately he has barely remembered anyone's real names in the family....yes you can cry about this moment b/c I sure did, and am now) after she spoke to him (thinking he was asleep) for about an hour, telling him how much everyone loves him and how much he has meant to everyone in our family. He has been sleeping since.

My fiance, sister, and I will be leaving early tomorrow (Tues) morning for a long and grueling drive from FL to Greenville, NC to be with our family (especially my Mom and Grandma) and unless my Pop creates another miracle of cheating Death, hopefully we will be able (with work and such) to stay long enough for a funeral. If not, then we will get the chance to tell him that we love him, in person :)

Ok, I know I went on and on when I could have just said "my Granddaddy is gonna pass on very soon and I'll be gone all week".

I wanted to ask, if anything new comes out this week, or more likely, this weekend: can anyone pick it up for me? I usually buy 5 of each new pin, but I will be happy with one :) We plan to return to FL on saturday but I will most likely not be on VMK until after the weekend, regardless. I will have a lot to do when I return, and after an emotional week that ends an emotional month...I won't feel like being on vmk most likely. If I do go on, I will be just getting my dailies and not really playing. Then again, I may need vmk as a retreat from all the crying and driving.

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I will not be on this weekend and def not this week, so I would appreciate anyone's help on anything new. And as a lot of people know, when I stop playing vmk for even a few days: it means new games, new lands, big changes, or something new that is more exciting than a pin. So please keep me updated!

You may see me on vmk tonight but it will be the last time for a while. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes care of little Mia while she is gone :) 'I SHALL return!!!'

Love you all, (and thanks for reading)

~Miakoda~

[BestLittleLauren]

pixiedust: Sending Prayers and Pixie Dust to your grand father

[cpnbones]

Hey Mia...

My prayers are with you and yours. No worries, I have you covered on anything new that comes out.

CpnBones pirate:

[MiakodaWDW]

pixiedust: Sending Prayers and Pixie Dust to your grand father

Thanks so much :) :) :)

[MiakodaWDW]

Hey Mia...

My prayers are with you and yours. No worries, I have you covered on anything new that comes out.

CpnBones pirate:

Awesome (I think we posted at the exact same time). Thanks so much!

[dancegrl1093]

all the pixie dust and hugs in the world goes out to you, your grandfather, and your family! :wizard: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust: :grouphug: :grouphug: :flower3: pixiedust: :hug: :hug:

[Maleficent2]

My thoughts are with you Mia and with your family.


Mal

[WDWfan36]

:Hug: I wish that everythings ok :hug:

[PrincessJen09]

What a beautiful written message about your grandfather. It is obvious how much he has meant to you. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

[LoriR]

My thoughts and prayers with be with you and your family. :hug:

Lori

[milkabum]

Hugs to you and your Pop, we're all here for you!

[AmberDaze]

Many hugs and wishes for you and your family. :goodvibes :hug:

[summerlin]

Pixie dust and hugs for you, Mia! :grouphug: You and your family will be in my prayers.

[Empare]

I'm always there for you cousin. I know it's going to be tough for you guys. Let me know if you need anything at all; support, love, or just a good laugh. I will get in touch with you soon in real life. Lots and lots of pixie dust and prayers from me and the husband. pixiedust: pixiedust:

Luv Em

[CinderellaWannab]

So sorry to hear this. What a wonderful person to have in your life. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family.

[tinkryansmom]

I think you write real good! ;)

Pixie dust to you and your family. I know several have already volunteered but if there is anything new you bet I will add another to my inventory for you.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

AceEllaBelle

[mom2cookies]

you will find much support and comfort from the people here on the Dis as well on VMK as i found out these last two months after my dad passed away. We'll be thinking of you all.

[Hank's R&R]

I hope everything turns out alright. Hopes and prayers to your family.


:grouphug:

[cteddiesgirl]

Prayers and pixie dust for you and your family!

Just know that I know exactly what you're going through. :grouphug:

I'll also have you covered for anything new coming out. :)

[4fosterkids]

Hugs to you Mia, as well as your family.
Its never easy to lose someone you love, but it sounds like your Pop has had a very good life and lots of love from those around him. You write so very well about him and his story. Good thoughts to you all as you say goodbye and remember his life and all the great memories!

[punkskateboarder]

you grandpa will be okay dont worry

[SurfingGirl]

My prayers are with you. When the man upstairs is ready your grandfather will be in paradise without pain and being happy watching over you from earth. You just have to have hope and pray for the best. I lost my grandfather recently. Have hope pray and everything will turn out the way it should be.

[CL_GreenStitch]

wow, i can tell you REALLY love your family. that's so sad to hear. i hope everything turns out OK for all of you. thoughts and prayers go out to you!!!


and think of it this way: you KNOW that being 90 years old, he has had a very Long, happy, Wonderful life :)

we're all here thinking of you, Mia!

~Green

[HappyBoy]

pixiedust: My best to you and your family! pixiedust:

[Jackoman]

It is very hard to lose someone that you love very much. Prayers and pixie dust to the world, you, and your family. :)

[MiakodaWDW]

Hi everyone :) I have returned (got home last night at 2 am). We came home a little earlier than expected because of money problems (my fiance could not afford to miss any more work), and the fact that my Grandfather did not pass while we were there. He is still hanging on for dear life, which is amazing considering he has had no food or water for so long. I am happy my sister and I got the chance to see him, even though he was asleep and unaware every time we went to see him. We got the chance to say goodbye to him, and hoped that he could hear us. He seemed to hear us and we kissed and hugged him as much as possible. I said everything I needed to say to him, such as thanking him for being such a wonderful Grandfather and sharing some of my best memories of growing up with him. I sincerely hope somewhere, in his dreams at least, he could hear me.

Thank you all for your kind words :) I was able to sneak away and get online for a few minutes when I was at my aunt's house the other day, and I got my daily credits and read everyone's replies. I appreciate what everyone had to say, and you all made me feel much better! It was a very emotional time for the family. Now I can only hope that when he goes, it's quietly and without any pain. Hope to see you all soon on vmk (I may get on later tonight)!

~Mia~

[milkabum]

Glad you got hope safely and got a chance to say goodbye! Lots of pixie dust to you. Hugs from all! :)

[MiakodaWDW]

Glad you got hope safely and got a chance to say goodbye! Lots of pixie dust to you. Hugs from all! :)

thanks very much sweetie :)

[MiakodaWDW]

I received a call from my Dad a little while ago. My Mom was emotionally unable to give me the news herself, so my Dad told me that my Pop passed on at 8pm tonight. Then he put Mom on the phone with me. We spoke briefly and I tried to comfort her, which was difficult considering that we were both crying. No matter how prepared you are for something like this, it always hits hard when it actually happens.

I feel like he was hanging on until everyone in the family had the chance to come see him and say their goodbyes. My sister and I were his only grandkids who hadn't been to see him since he got sick. Maybe he just needed to hear our last words to him. I feel awful because my last words (Thursday evening) were "I love you and I'll see you tomorrow before we leave, Pop". We overslept yesterday, and had to be on the road (and also my Mom said he was drugged up and completely out of it, and would not even know we were there), so we did not stop by the rest home to see him again before we left. I wish I had not told him I would "see him tommorrow". I regret not going by before we headed back home.

My aunt (my Mom's sister and Pop's daughter) has been in denial over this whole thing. Everyone has said his death will not hit her until weeks afterwards. I hope that she can accept and come to terms with this like the rest of us have. I also hope my Grandma does not follow the path that many other couples have followed, and pass on soon after he does. They met at age 17 (they are the same age) and married at 20, so this will take a huge toll on her. I have never in my life seen her so tired and miserable as I saw her this week. Even though she is close to 90, she has always been an energetic woman who is full of life and youthfullness.

Anyway, at least we got to say our goodbyes. Pop will be missed in this life, and I know that wherever his soul moves onto, and whatever the "next step" is, he will be happy and his ticket will be to a wonderful place. Maybe the afterlife for good people is like Disney World, with no heat and no lines! And everything is free :) I think that is what I will imagine for him :banana:

Thanks for everyone's prayers, pixie dust, and warm thoughts. It really does mean a lot to me, and when I was at my aunt's house (which has internet) for dinner the other day and got online for a few minutes, I showed my family everyone's posts. It made them very happy, even though they have no clue what VMK/DIS is. :rolleyes: They said I am lucky to have the support of so many wonderful online friends, and they are right!

~Mia~


http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9342/popol1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

:love: YOU WILL BE MISSED, POP!!! :love:

[cteddiesgirl]

:grouphug: Mia!

I know it's difficult. But, he is in a better place and you can get through this. Stay strong, but let it out when you need to.
:grouphug:

[shellybellypolo]

aww im sorry to hear this news. my family and i are hoping for the best of wishes to him in his after life. and even tho i feel completely sorry for u, i have one ot question: what happened to his ear in the photo?

[Disney Dreams]

Hey Mia,

I have been gone all week for family stuff myself and am just reading this entire thread.

My heart goes out to you. I am so very happy that you got to see your "Pop" and say what you wanted to him. I personally believe that people in a state such as you described DO hear us, they just can't reply.

Please don't be too harsh on yourself for not getting back to him on your way out of town. He knows that you came to see him and that is what's important.

As for grandma, it sounds like they were extremely close through their lives and, yes, sometimes one follows the other in passing. (Mine did 6 weeks apart.) Tell grandma now anything that is in your heart. And hopefully she will be around to remember it and live with the knowledge for many many years. No reason to wait to tell her.

I am so very sorry for your loss and please allow yourself to be sad. It's important for your own growth and mental / emotional health. Hugs and warm thoughts. And remember, he is still with you so long as you remember him and share his special place in your life with others.

Here if you need anyone,
Disney Dreams / Jegrezo

[Kasiks]

Mia,

I can not find the good words in english, so i did not posted before but i thought about you and your familly because you are a good person.

You did what you had to do. You went over there and say what you needed to say and dont run into your mind with the last three words. He saw that you and your family loves him, and he waited that you were gone to leave this world in peace with the last good byes and made a new star shines.

I never loose someone but I am sure it must be hard even more with the love you have for your family. Allow yourself to be sad, and be strong.

[LoriR]

I am so sorry for you loss Mia. :hug: I'm glad you were able to visit him and tell him goodbye.

My thoughts and prayers will be with you.

Lori

[Cpt.JackSpearow]

Mia, your pop looked like a really nice man, I know how hard it is to let go of someone you really care about, best wishes and pixe dust to you. :grouphug: pixiedust: pixiedust: :hug: :hug: The DIS wishes you best wishes and hope you feel alright.



~Steven

[Maleficent2]

:hug:so sorry for your families lost Mia.....Your pop, from what you have written about him sounded like a very special man.

[pinkCHICLETT]

I am so sorry for your loss. This makes me think of my grandmother which on the 15th it has been a year with out her. I was very close to her & my last words to her were, "Bye, I love you." I never thought at that moment that she would ever leave this world. Than she had a bad reaction to a medication and was put into ICU. I never had the courage to go see her, it hurt too much. But she's in a better place & I know she is always still watching over me.

[Funniebunny]

:grouphug: Mia,

I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.
From your posts it sounded like your Pop had a fantastic life.

[MiakodaWDW]

aww im sorry to hear this news. my family and i are hoping for the best of wishes to him in his after life. and even tho i feel completely sorry for u, i have one ot question: what happened to his ear in the photo?

I can't recall why, but about 5 years ago something happened to his ear and the doctors had to remove part of it. It's not the photo, that is how his ear looked.

Thanks so much everyone. You have all made me start crying again (sad AND happy tears) from your posts. I just now read what everyone said after my last post. You are all really wonderful to say those nice things and they really help :) I have not had to deal with this since my Dad's father passed away when I was 15 (13 years ago!). I was much closer to him, and it was much harder because of that and the fact that I was a kid, and it was the first death I had been through. Now that I'm going through it again as an adult, I can see the difference. But no matter what your age, it's never easy. I'm am coping though, and I will probably call my Mom today. She has not wanted to talk since the night he died and said she would call me when she's ready, but I am going to call her now. Of all my Grandparents' kids (4 of them), she has done the most work in taking care of him and is taking this the hardest. Her sister and brothers dont seem to care as much or know what they were doing as far as taking care of him and dealing with the doctors and nurses. So that has put a lot of extra stress on her. I will probably send her the link here so she can read what all of you said, maybe it will make her feel better. Thank you all!

~M~

[Empare]

People can be so kind on these boards! Thank you everyone for all of the love and support you have provided to Miakoda. I also want to send my prayers and pixiedust as well. I have my own fond memories of Pop and I know it was hard for you all this past week. One thing I never forget is that family and friends love you no matter what. They will always be there for you in the best and the worst of times. They are their to cheer and clap when you are happy and, they are their to lend a shoulder when you are sad. Life has it's ups and downs but eventually, that road will be straight and when that happens, there is no better place to be. :hug:

Luv ya Cuz.

[MiakodaWDW]

People can be so kind on these boards! Thank you everyone for all of the love and support you have provided to Miakoda. I also want to send my prayers and pixiedust as well. I have my own fond memories of Pop and I know it was hard for you all this past week. One thing I never forget is that family and friends love you no matter what. They will always be there for you in the best and the worst of times. They are their to cheer and clap when you are happy and, they are their to lend a shoulder when you are sad. Life has it's ups and downs but eventually, that road will be straight and when that happens, there is no better place to be. :hug:

Luv ya Cuz.

That is sweet, darling :) But you spelled "there" wrong. Ha. I still get to point out spelling mistakes! :rotfl2:

I love you, thank you :) Now we are both left with just Grandmas. :(

~Mia~

[Empare]

That is sweet, darling :) But you spelled "there" wrong. Ha. I still get to point out spelling mistakes! :rotfl2:

I love you, thank you :) Now we are both left with just Grandmas. :(

~Mia~

Do you always have to correct my spelling Miakoda? ;) I love you too and I hope you and your parents are doing better now.

[dancegrl1093]

hope everything is going well........ i'm getting very emotional just reading this........... :grouphug:

[MiakodaWDW]

Do you always have to correct my spelling Miakoda? ;) I love you too and I hope you and your parents are doing better now.

I always have to correct EVERYONE'S spelling! I AM the GSP! (Grammar/Spelling Police)

I'm doing ok now and so are my folks. My grandparents had rented a condo in Myrtle Beach for this coming up weekend, and my Grandma never cancelled it :( They rented it before Pop went into the hospital, obviously. She decided to keep it and she is going with my aunt and uncle, and my parents will be there too in their condo, along with Ruthie and them. I know she will be sad to be there without him, but she is trying to move on and will be going on the trip for him, keeping him in her heart the whole time. She looked really bad when we went to NC and saw her (before he died), but my Mom says she is doing much better now. I'm sure she has been preparing for this for a long time, just like the rest of us.

Anyway, I guess you are in Germany now! Do you have internet there? If not I guess you'll read this when you get back. I know it's for work, but hope you have fun! Maybe you are visiting Anya! (LOL, b/c you know, she lives there, and I'm sure you'll just run into her! It's not like Germany is a whole country or anything!) It's like that guy who says, "Oh, you are from New York?! Do you know this guy named Bob?" LOL. Yeah ok, it's 6am, I've been up all night, and I'm silly. Hey, maybe this should have been a pm.... :rotfl2:

Oh, but I also wanted to say: hope everything is going well........ i'm getting very emotional just reading this...........

Thanks so much, everything is going well now :) Sorry you are getting emotional! That is very sweet :) If you read this I'm sure you can see my family is doing much better :) Boy, being up there (in NC) while he was in the rest home his last few days sure was emotional though. But we are all getting through it! Thanks for your and everyone's support :)

I showed this thread to my Mom and Aunt (I can't remember if I said this already earlier) while I was up there in NC (after trying to explain to them what vmk was, for some reason I couldn't get it to work on my aunt's computer to show them)....they said it was cool that people that don't even know me are lending so much support and prayers to me :) I told them DIS people are so awesome!

~Mia~

[shellybellypolo]

I told them DIS people are so awesome!

u bet we are! woot woot!

LOL
pixie dust and wishes for your grandma's road to recovery! (and for you, too!)

~*greencoolcat*~

[LuNaReVe]

:hug: I am so sorry Mia! My grandmother passed away about 2 years ago and i still miss her dearly! Best Wishes To All Of you Family! :sunny:


:love: Luna

[MiakodaWDW]

Thanks LunaReve. I don't know what I will do when my Grandma passes, I am a LOT closer to her, and have always been, than my Pop. Unlike my Dad's Mom (who I still love very much), my Mom's Mom is the classic "Granny" type who used to always sneak money to me, my sis and cousin when we would go to the mall, and try to hide it from our Moms :) LOL. Even when I was in college and working, this one time we were at the beach (every summer the entire extended family on my Mom's side would rent a condo or beach house on Myrtle Beach, SC for a week, I stopped going when I got older but when I was about 20 I went for the first time in 2 years...) anyway, by then I was older and had my own money and all, and she still slipped me a $20 when I said I was going to the mall, and I tried to give it back saying "no Grandma! I have money, you don't have to". You CANNOT say no to her. She will hide it in your purse if she has to! LOL anyway she is the best. Funny too...she taught me when I was little how to tell/know if you are really in love. She said, "Honey, if you want to know if you are really in love when you are older: just imagine the boy sitting on the toilet doing a number 2, and the noises and smells he is making. If you can imagine that and you still love him, then it's real love". Sorry if that's too off-color for DIS, but hey if Grandma says it I think it's okay. LOL I am not kidding you guys and I have told people this my whole life. I've told girlfriends of mine through the years who weren't sure if they were really into their boyfriends..."well, my Grandmas always says...." LOL. I think her actual words were "taking a dump" but anyway, sorry I just had to share that one. :) I'm so glad she is still here...I won't be able to handle it as well when she goes. she is so awesome! Go Granny!

~Mia~

P.S. I think this may be true of all old ladies....but every time I see my Grandma, I swear she gets like 5 inches shorter than the last time I saw her. I tower over her now and it's so weird. She is the one who loves to remind me of embarassing things I did as a kid (especially when I would bring a new boyfriend to her house to meet the family! LOL, and of course, the photo albums would come out.... :rolleyes: ) I heart her!

OKay I have to share a photo of her since I put one up of my Pop :love: :love: :love:

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/1538/052006grandmabn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Everyone says my Mom looks just like her, and that I look like my Mom. Here are some comparison pics...anyone else see it? I hope I look as good as my Mom when I'm 56 and as good as Grandma when I'm 89!
They both have the same Asian looking eyes, which I don't think I have, (unfortunately, I have my Dad's big nose!) but anyway, here's me and Mommy...

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3695/selenamomsmallho0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I hate this pic of me (I was not feeling well, and it showed. I so did not want pics taken but it was Mom's bday this past May and she wanted pics), but it's the only one of my Mom and me I can find on the computer, where she is not wearing sunglasses!