Losing The Most Influential Person | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Losing The Most Influential Person

"Life is like a quilt, there are never two dark patches next to each other."

22
Losing The Most Influential Person

When people bring up role models, moms and dads are brought up and the occasional public figure; but for me, my grandmother was my mine. She was a trailblazer, making history with everything she did, I would be crazy not to look up to her. She was the first woman in that state of New York to re-enter Nursing School after being married. She was also one of New Mexico's first Nurse Practitioners, to say the least, she was one of a kind. Not to mention she was the woman that brought me into the magical world of Harry Potter. Every Harry Potter movie that came out, she would take me. Even though she didn't understand what was going on at all, she would sit in confused bliss with me by her side. Simply stated, she was my best friend.

2011 was the year that changed everything. After having a simple cataract surgery on her eyes, my grandma had a small fall in her house. Due to the fall, the doctors were able to find that my grandma had spinal stenosis which is the narrowing of the spinal canal. It can be very painful so they opted for surgery. After six months of rehab and healing, grandma was finally starting to become her old self. This only lasted a small while until the number of UTI's she was getting increased, and her energy levels fell as well as her appetite. Another hospital trip and many tests later, the doctors called in all my aunts and uncles for a sit down. The next day we were told that she had leukemia and it was so far advanced that in the same day she was diagnosed, she was put on hospice care. What I couldn't understand is why was everyone so upset. This is the woman who had survived three other cancers! She could pull through, right? But as the weeks went on, I saw her decline right in front of me. So instead of wallowing in pity, I accepted what was going on, I would wake up at 5 a.m. almost every day and drive to the nursing facility that she was staying at and help her get out of bed, get dressed, and eat breakfast. These mornings were so special to me because it was just her and I again. Just like old times, except instead of watching movies and eating ice cream, she was telling me all about how nursing school would be, telling me that patients are people, not tasks, and how to give the best care. It was learning at the hands of the master.

June 2013 came and grandma's condition was the worst it had been. She wasn't eating anything for breakfast anymore and didn't want to even get out of bed. The second week of June I was going to travel 3 hours away to be a counselor at a camp and didn't know if I should leave with her condition being as it was. She urged me to go, to lead and being the only person on the face of the earth that could convince me to leave, I did. Three days into camp and I get the call. 72 hours into one of the best weeks of my summer, and my whole world came tumbling down. The foundation that I built my life on, had crumbled away beneath me. It left me a crumpled up heap in the corner of a small dormitory room 259 miles away from where my heart longed to be.


I lost who I was, who I wanted to be all during that phone call. Who was I if grandma wasn't there? The day after I returned there was a viewing for the family. I was one of the last to arrive and getting out of the car to the funeral home was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Walking in that funeral home meant that it was real. Seeing her in the coffin, pale and lifeless, would mean that my best friend was gone. It took several family members and all the courage I could muster to walk into the viewing room. It took even more convincing and my mother supporting me to peer into the coffin. In that moment, my world went dark. Every moment from there after was a blur. From the funeral service the next day, to the family dinner that tried to lighten the mood to even saying goodbye to family members that had to leave in the days following.

But as they say, "life goes on." As I started my newest adventure of college, I found that I would quote little grandma-isms, life sayings if you will, that would make every day easier. "If you find someone without a smile, give them yours." Every day I would hear a little bit of her wisdom in everything I would do. Someone would cut me off while I'm driving and before yelling at them in my car I would hear her voice "Anger is an odd way of punishing yourself for the faults of others". Or if I was just having the worst day I remember her saying, "Life is like a quilt, there are never two dark patches next to each other." It would get easier with every passing day.

It's been almost 4 years, and I still miss her more than anything in this world, but to quote A Walk to Remember, "Her love is like the wind, I can't see it, but I can feel it."

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Drake
Hypetrak

1. Nails done hair done everything did / Oh you fancy huh

You're pretty much feeling yourself. New haircut, clothes, shoes, everything. New year, new you, right? You're ready for this semester to kick off.

Keep Reading...Show less
7 Ways to Make Your Language More Transgender and Nonbinary Inclusive

With more people becoming aware of transgender and non-binary people, there have been a lot of questions circulating online and elsewhere about how to be more inclusive. Language is very important in making a space safer for trans and non-binary individuals. With language, there is an established and built-in measure of whether a place could be safe or unsafe. If the wrong language is used, the place is unsafe and shows a lack of education on trans and non-binary issues. With the right language and education, there can be more safe spaces for trans and non-binary people to exist without feeling the need to hide their identities or feel threatened for merely existing.

Keep Reading...Show less
singing
Cambio

Singing is something I do all day, every day. It doesn't matter where I am or who's around. If I feel like singing, I'm going to. It's probably annoying sometimes, but I don't care -- I love to sing! If I'm not singing, I'm probably humming, sometimes without even realizing it. So as someone who loves to sing, these are some of the feelings and thoughts I have probably almost every day.

Keep Reading...Show less
success
Degrassi.Wikia

Being a college student is one of the most difficult task known to man. Being able to balance your school life, work life and even a social life is a task of greatness. Here's an ode to some of the small victories that mean a lot to us college students.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

6 Signs You're A Workaholic

Becuase of all things to be addicted to, you're addicted to making money.

503
workaholic
kaboompics

After turning 16, our parents start to push us to get a job and take on some responsibility. We start to make our own money in order to fund the fun we intend on having throughout the year. But what happens when you've officially become so obsessed with making money that you can't even remember the last day you had off? You, my friend, have become a workaholic. Being a workaholic can be both good and bad. It shows dedication to your job and the desire to save money. It also shows that you don't have a great work-life balance. Here are the signs of becoming a workaholic.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments