I am so fortunate to have all of my grandparents. I even had two great-grandmothers in my life for many years; one passed away at the age of 104...yep, 104...
But, someone I hold very near and dear to my heart is in the struggle of his life as I type. My grandfather, Woodrow, has had his fair share of health problems in the last 6 years or so, and he's always hated going to the hospital. His single wish in life is to not die in a hospital; to not be kept alive by machines...
He fell on Saturday in his bathroom, bashed his head pretty good, stopped breathing, his heart stopped several times, and now he's in critical condition hooked to machines.
Over the last several days I've gotten a clear picture of what's going on with him, and decisions his children made to hopefully get him back on his feet now worry them because we just don't know if he'll ever recover. He had a pacemaker put in yesterday to help his heart, he's fighting an infection of some kind and is on antibiotics, and we hope in the coming days, the doctors can slowly ween him off of the respirator.
His biggest battle is an aneurysm that's too big to operate on. The doctors tell us it's a ticking time bomb. It was discovered years ago when it was 4 sonimeters big; his doctor at the time didn't think my grandfather was a good candidate for surgery due to lung disease, and to be honest, I don't think they expected him to survive those years it took to grow to the size it is now. This aneurysm has enlarged to 7 sonimeters big; a size that is generally not operated on and rarely even seen, thus it's expected to burst at any time. My family is holding out hope for better information and answers once he gets through what he's facing right now. We'll know more about the aneurysm and options we may have once he's off the respirator.
Sorry to go on, but I'm asking for good thoughts and prayers for my grandfather. I think at the heart of all we are trying to do with him right now, we just want him off of the respirator and back home to live out his days. He's incredibly special to everyone that knows him, and for me, I've spent the last several days just remembering every special thing I can about growing up with him. I'm so thankful I had the time I've had; I know so many lose grandparents and even parents way too soon, so I know how lucky my family's been to have him around for so long now.
Prayer is a very big source of comfort for my grandmother and grandfather; your best thoughts and prayers for getting him home where he wants to be are so appreciated right now. My grandmother's been seeking comfort from the prayers of her daughters and her pastor, and she's an ordained minister herself, so I know her faith is keeping her strong.
My grandfather is 86 years old, helped build one of the rovers that went to the moon in the '60's while working for Martin Marietta...he was always tinkering in his garage and has tools that make most men cry when they see them
He retired from machine work to work on the water with his brother, and I remember many trips to Norfolk in a big truck with bushels of blue crabs in the back, just Pop-Pop and I. He loved the water and build a boat. He maintained a fruit orchard for decades, giving our small community the BEST and BIGGEST peaches I've ever seen; never seen any to match since he sold his property years ago.
His battles with the side effects of breathing in chemicals and particles at work for so many years have stripped him of most activities the loved, like welding and creating anything and everything you can think of out of his garage. He was a biker for many years; I remember riding with him when I was much younger. He's father to 4 children, has 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren...all in all, a very full and wonderful life...
But, someone I hold very near and dear to my heart is in the struggle of his life as I type. My grandfather, Woodrow, has had his fair share of health problems in the last 6 years or so, and he's always hated going to the hospital. His single wish in life is to not die in a hospital; to not be kept alive by machines...
He fell on Saturday in his bathroom, bashed his head pretty good, stopped breathing, his heart stopped several times, and now he's in critical condition hooked to machines.
Over the last several days I've gotten a clear picture of what's going on with him, and decisions his children made to hopefully get him back on his feet now worry them because we just don't know if he'll ever recover. He had a pacemaker put in yesterday to help his heart, he's fighting an infection of some kind and is on antibiotics, and we hope in the coming days, the doctors can slowly ween him off of the respirator.
His biggest battle is an aneurysm that's too big to operate on. The doctors tell us it's a ticking time bomb. It was discovered years ago when it was 4 sonimeters big; his doctor at the time didn't think my grandfather was a good candidate for surgery due to lung disease, and to be honest, I don't think they expected him to survive those years it took to grow to the size it is now. This aneurysm has enlarged to 7 sonimeters big; a size that is generally not operated on and rarely even seen, thus it's expected to burst at any time. My family is holding out hope for better information and answers once he gets through what he's facing right now. We'll know more about the aneurysm and options we may have once he's off the respirator.
Sorry to go on, but I'm asking for good thoughts and prayers for my grandfather. I think at the heart of all we are trying to do with him right now, we just want him off of the respirator and back home to live out his days. He's incredibly special to everyone that knows him, and for me, I've spent the last several days just remembering every special thing I can about growing up with him. I'm so thankful I had the time I've had; I know so many lose grandparents and even parents way too soon, so I know how lucky my family's been to have him around for so long now.
Prayer is a very big source of comfort for my grandmother and grandfather; your best thoughts and prayers for getting him home where he wants to be are so appreciated right now. My grandmother's been seeking comfort from the prayers of her daughters and her pastor, and she's an ordained minister herself, so I know her faith is keeping her strong.
My grandfather is 86 years old, helped build one of the rovers that went to the moon in the '60's while working for Martin Marietta...he was always tinkering in his garage and has tools that make most men cry when they see them
His battles with the side effects of breathing in chemicals and particles at work for so many years have stripped him of most activities the loved, like welding and creating anything and everything you can think of out of his garage. He was a biker for many years; I remember riding with him when I was much younger. He's father to 4 children, has 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren...all in all, a very full and wonderful life...
