I got a call last night from my Mom, saying that my Granddad is in the hospital. He had a bleeding ulcer about 30 years ago, and contracted Hepatitis from the blood transfusion he got at the time. Then he developed diabetes about 10 years ago, and has been going slowly downhill ever since. So, he's in Fredricksburg Hospital in basically complete liver failure, the nurse told me this morning that it's basically 50-50 whether he'll ever leave the hospital. Along with my Dad and my brother, he's easily the most important guy in my life. He's such an amazing person, grew up dirt poor (I think he got his first pair of shoes when he was 12), served his country in WWII and Korea, and with little more than a 3rd grade education became incredibly successful. He sold his natural gas company (yeah, he sold propane & propane accessories, built the company from scratch), bought a Honda Goldwing & toured pretty much all of the U.S. and Canada over a period of 5 years or so. Some kids went to camp in the summer, I went to their ranch (outside of Johnson City, about 45 minutes NW of Austin) and built fence, rode horses, worked cattle & did all that type stuff. Some of my happiest memories are from summers & holidays spent out there, a kid can have a lot of fun, and get into just a bit of trouble, on 2000 acres. I can't really put into words how proud I am to have such an amazing guy in my life. I was hoping he'd at least make it to Easter so he could be together with the whole family one more time under happy circumstances. I guess all I can hope for now is that he gets to go home (he absolutely loathes hospitals, and being indoors in general, if he's not doing something outside, he's not happy) and have a peaceful final few days with the family. Sorry I missed the BW3 outing last night, and I won't be able to make the Smeggy events this weekend. You guys have a great time, I was looking forward to meeting yall. Some other time, ok? Congrats again on the wedding Smeg. Enjoy your time in Houston.
Hey man. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I lost my mother to brain cancer two years ago this month. I don't think I can put into words how much it affected me. It will be tough on you when your granddad is no longer around. I hope you have a strong group of family and friends to help you get through this difficult time.
I understand what you are going through. I lost my Grandfather a few years ago around this time after a long battle with cancer. He and my father taught me so much about hard work and being a general handyman. My prayers are with you and your family.
Yeah, my grandfather died a few weeks ago. He was diagnosed with lung cancer. My mother and aunts were making plans for his treatment, but he got pneumonia and died 3 weeks after his diagnosis.
Thanks so much for all the kind words, it really means a lot, I've never posted anything personal here before, sorry for all the rambling, it's been an emotional roller-coaster over the last few days. Quick update: Wow. I got a call from an uncle around 2pm Thursday saying that my Granddad was still in a coma & the docs said that it was basically over, he might hang on for a few days, but he wouldn't wake up. So I rush home & pack for the weekend fully expecting to be at a funeral at some point in time. Spent about 8 hours at the hospital Thursday night, it was so hard to see him like that. Got a call at the ranch Friday morning from another uncle at the hospital, saying Luke was awake & telling the nurses he was hungry. Over the next couple of days, the improvement was remarkable. He was completely lucid, could remember on Saturday conversations we had on Friday, was joking with the nurses, etc.... The physical therapist took him for a 50 foot walk down the hall; when she came into the room & asked him if he felt like getting up. So he says "Do you want to dance?" She got a kick outta that; but when they get back from the walk, he asked if she knew how to waltz. She said no, & he proceeded to lead her around the room for 30 seconds or so, dragging the IV stand behind him. If he keeps improving, he may get to go home on Wednesday or Thursday; it's just a matter of time, a week or two, until this happens again, and he probably won't make it through the next one, but just getting to talk to him again & see how happy and hopeful my Grandmother is now was pretty incredible. So I'm headed back up there whenever he's going home, to help out & whatnot. I've got my fingers crossed that he'll be there Saturday for the traditional Easter BBQ - cabrito, brisket, chicken, etc.... He talked about it a lot & was really looking forward to getting home & seeing the family there again.
