Grandma Gertie

It is with a sad heart that I tell you Jesse's grandmother lost her battle with cancer this afternoon.

Grandma Gertie was 88 years old, but up until about seven months ago, you would never have known it. She went on an African safari only five years ago...para-sailing in Hawaii four years ago. You might remember I told you about her special birthday party only three months ago.

When she was originally diagnosed, we were all nervous. But she never was. She fought until the end. Even when she was admitted to the hospital in September, we all thought it was over. She fought tooth and nail through hours of endless rehab to get strong enough to go back to her home at the retirement community. Always strong. Always a fighter.

Once home again, she did well for about a week. Last week, her strength greatly declined, and she was confined again to her wheelchair. On Wednesday of last week, she visited her doctor and oncologist. They told us her time was short- called hospice and told the family to prepare for maybe three more weeks.

Thursday, we spent a great deal of time with Grandma Gertie. She spoke to us about what the doctor had told her, and told us that "this was it. They just want to keep me comfortable now." She was still sitting up in her chair, eating a few bites of soup (though she said it was gross), and sipping her iced tea.

Friday, I went back up with some wonton soup- she loves that stuff. When I got there, the lights were all out and she was in bed. I sat beside her and talked with her for awhile, and then one of the nurses helped me, help her, to walk to her chair and eat some more soup. Her speech was much harder to understand and she was visibly weaker.

This afternoon, we got a call from Jesse's dad encouraging us to come up and see her. She was on oxygen and morphine and no longer responsive, but we were there. We both held her hands and told her again how much she meant to us. Jesse did not leave her side. He watched as her breathing grew slower, and he held her hand until she took her last breath.

Most of the family was there, and the rest came shortly afterwards. We spent some time saying goodbye and a priest came and had a Last Rites ceremony for the family to share in some time to pray and remember the good times. Grandma Gertie was a strict Catholic, so it is how she would have wanted.

It has been an emotionally draining week. When you are told three weeks and only get three days, it is quite a shock. Once the body begins to shutdown, it does not take long. I am thankful that her body is at rest and the cancer is no longer hurting her. I'm hopeful that her soul is with Christ and she has been reunited with her husband who died over thirty years ago.

I ask that you please pray for the family. Pray for Jesse's parents and his aunts. They are all having a really hard time letting go of their mother and uniting in their grief. Pray for her grandsons, who are struggling to see their parents in pain. Pray for the funeral plans, as no one really knows what to do right now or where to hold services (she is from New Mexico). Pray for the weary souls of those who have helped her fight this disease. Please just pray.

We love you, Grandma Gertie and we will miss you. God Bless.