Hey guys. Just popping in to say thanks all for the prayers - for both my FIL first, and more recently for my grandmother. Both are in interesting situations, certainly, but the most pressing right now is my grandmother.
It has been an extremely crazy, frustrating, dreery kind of weekend/few days. My dad arrived in So Cal last night (he lives in San Francisco) and texted me an update about my grandmother. She didn't recognize her own son, which is sad, but not unexpected either. He last saw her about 2 weeks ago. His sister is due in from Washington state tonight. Their brother (my uncle, who is dealing with heart troubles himself) lives 10 minutes away from the assisted living home that my grandmother lives in - so he and my aunt have been her primary family caregivers for the past 4 years or so.
My dad said that she is still in lots of pain, but was responding a bit more pleasantly to the nurses trying to help her, rather than barking at them. She is refusing food, liquids and medication. Everyone is preparing for the eventual reality, but of course no one knows when that time will come - whether its now or still weeks or even months from now. The doctors told my uncle and dad that they estimate given her current condition, worst case in the next 36 hours or so, but probably a week or two, maybe, though not likely, a month. She has basically given up, and doesn't want to live anymore.
At her age, she has lived a long full life. She outlived my grandfather by 32 years, remarried a couple of years later, and then outlived her second husband as well. She's got a beau in the home, but told me a couple of years back that she didn't think she'd marry again... but was just enjoying the courtship
She and my grandfather both were teachers, and spent many years working in elementary & secondary education. They spent their summers working with youth in summer camps, and in their 50's and 60's went on the mission field for 6 months at a time 6 different times to Alaska, where my grandfather died of a massive heart attack. With her second husband, a carpenter, they used their age and wisdom to influence young people in their church as Sunday School teachers for years, among other leadership roles, and made two trips to Israel once as participants, and the other time as the leaders/hosts. She was the 3rd of 6 children. She has 3 children of her own. She was married 62 years between both marriages, and has 7 grandchildren from her first marriage, another 8 from her second marriage, and 9 great grandchildren from both marriages combined. She's a diminuitive woman, towering over the youngest generations at 4'9". It has been a wonderful rite of passage for each generation when someone surpassed her. My wife, kids and I were blessed to be able to have lunch with her and spend a couple of precious hours with her in December. It was the first time we'd all been together with her in about 3 years... so these great-grands have some pleasant memories of her - especially since she was, like many years past, giving my middle son grief for having become "taller than grandma".
Naturally she's been a primary topic of conversation in our house for the past several days.
Again, thanks for the prayers. Personally I'm praying that her pain and struggles will end, and she can be in peace. She's suffered from dementia the past few years, and this latest episode has seemed to rob her of everything she had left, and that's just no fun for anyone. She's had a good life, and is ready for its conclusion.
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