Poppop

I had a very peaceful afternoon. I spent almost four hours sitting with Poppop (my grandfather)at the hospital. He has pneumonia and was admitted yesterday. He actually looks great, considering all that he has going on. Besides this bout of pneumonia he also had Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Liver Cancer, a Pacemaker....and the list goes on. Poppop's birthday is December 5Th and he will be 83 years old. I cannot begin to describe how much he means to me. We have always shared a bond and in the last 14 years that bond turned into much more than a Grandparent/grandchild relationship. See about 14 years ago my parents moved away. Then my other grandparents moved away and soon after my Brother moved away. I was a recently divorced, struggling single mom. But one constant in my life was Poppop. He was there for me always, no matter what. We ended up spending a lot of time together and in turn taking care of each other. He helped me to feel better when I was sad about being "alone" and so far from my immediate family. He also gave moral and financial help as I needed it. Every Wednesday me and my son went to his house for dinner. We did this for many years. After I met and married my Hubby he continued to be a big part of our lives. He would come over for dinner often and spend all holidays with us. As he got older we noticed he was forgetting a lot and talking a little "crazy". That was the beginning of when I started to take care of him. As he got worse, I had to help out with more and more eventually having to move him into our home. My boys and I loved having him here with us and I slept better knowing he was well taken care of and fed. On his own he didn't eat, didn't bathe, etc....so I had to step in. My role changed from granddaughter to caregiver. Last winter Poppop stopped wanting to walk. This upset me and still does. I realize that he is 82 and he has every right to decide that, but this decision meant he could no longer live with me. So I had to hand over my most precious grandfather to the nursing home. Leaving him there broke my heart and still causes me a lot of pain. Now he is sick again and back in the hospital, but still just sitting near him while he sleeps gives me peace. I know that any moment I could lose him forever and I cherish every moment I have left. Please pray for him.....for peace and comfort. He really is an extraordinary man.