April 27, 2009

Monday started like any other typical Monday.  We got up, Chris earlier than me, and began preparing the day.  Chris had to be at work at 5 a.m. that morning, which meant I could laze around and take my time while getting ready and gearing up for patients that day.  When I got to work, I was surprised to see that I didn't have anyone on my schedule.  It was a rather light day in hearing aids for the whole and so I spent my morning going through papers and organizing inventory.

I was talking to some co-workers about what I wanted for lunch that day (I didn't pack a lunch, which is very rare) and had settled on going to get Kris and Sam's (this sandwich shop in L.R. with the best chocolate no-bake cookies.  Ever.).  It was about 10:30 a.m. when I got a text from Chris asking me to call him ASAP.  So I went back to my office and did as I was told and called him.  He told me that Jon (his brother) had called and said they were taking his Grandma off life support, and that we probably wouldn't make it in time to say our goodbyes.  

The Friday before this, April 24th, she had gone into the hospital with an aneurysm in her aortic artery, but thankfully, it was contained.  They performed emergency surgery and sent her to ICU to recover.  She was in and out of it from what we hear, not knowing (at least outwardly) where she was, who everyone was, where she lived, etc.  She asked for her pills, but told the nurse they were in her rock house.  She hadn't lived there in 20+ years.  Then she went into shock, and the doc's said that was typical following surgery.  After that, things began going down hill and her kidney's stopped functioning, her liver began to fail, etc.  So Monday morning, when it became apparent what the final outcome was going to be, my in-laws decided to take her off life support.  

Chris and I rushed home from work, packed like mad people (it was like the hurricane all over, we hadn't moved that fast since Hurricane Rita), made arrangements for Baxter (thanks Pam and Micha!) and headed up the hill.  Everyone said we wouldn't make it in time.  They expected that she would live, at most, an hour or two.  As we were driving we were getting updates from the family, but I had this feeling that we would be able to see her while she was still living one last time.  Sure enough, we got to the hospital that afternoon and she was still holding on.  We waited in the ICU waiting room and decided to go get some dinner, the next visiting hours didn't begin until 8 p.m.  After dinner, we ran by the in-laws house and were getting ready to go back to the hospital when the nurse called.  Chris' Grandma had passed away.  

When we got back to the hospital, we all went back, but Emily and I stayed out of the room.  We went back to the waiting room to meet the chaplain and wait for the doctor to pronounce her and then they got to go see her one last time before we left the hospital.

Tuesday was spent in F.S. for Chris and I.  We met Chris' parents and Jon at the funeral home to make arrangements that afternoon.  There were so many decisions to be made, deadlines for obituaries to run in the paper the next day, etc.  We chose the casket, went to the florist and chose the flowers.  Chris' parents had brought her burial clothing and had to deliver that to the funeral home.  We then had to go to the cemetery to make the arrangements there.  Chris' Grandpa had passed away 20+ years prior, and so the plot was already there, it was just making sure everything was straightened out.  

The funeral was yesterday, April 30th.  She was 85.  Her birthday would have been this Saturday, May 2nd.  We were worried it was going to rain during the funeral, but we had beautiful weather.  Afterwards, we all gathered at Jon and Emily's to have dinner and it began to rain.  When we got ready to leave, we went out to the cemetery one last time and it rained the entire way there.  But when we turned on the road to go to the cemetery, it stopped raining.  On our way out of town, we saw a rainbow, and it was perfect.

She was very independent, living at home by herself until she had to be taken to the hospital.  When she fell and broke her hip several years ago, she couldn't wait to get out of rehab and return home.  She learned how to drive in her 60's after her husband passed away.  She loved her great grand puppies and my favorite memory is when Baxter jumped in her lap because he was being chased by Rylie.  It shocked her and she just began to laugh.  Her expression on her face was priceless!

We will surely miss her, but we know that she is in God's care and with her husband.  

Her obituary can be read here.