Dying

Some people are taken suddenly and others have time to prepare for their approaching death. Of the second kind, there are those that prefer to gather their family around them in their final days/hours/minutes, and those that prefer to die alone. My grandma is in the second category. Her husband (my grandpa) died less than a week ago, and she will be joining him in the near future. She has had terminal cancer for several months now and was getting chemotherapy, but now that he is gone she has cancelled that. She has not eaten in 3 days and barely drinks. Her body is in the process of shutting down and that is exactly what she wants. She told her caretaker "I never kept George waiting long and I don't intend to start now." She is weak and stays in bed all day. She sleeps or just lays there awake. She does not want any of her family to come see her in these final days. She prefers for us not to see her this way. I think she wants to protect us and preserve our memories of the way she used to be. She isn't afraid of dying- in fact, she can't accomplish it soon enough. I had thought about going to see her anyway, but I've decided to abide by her wishes. Hospice is involved now, and no one thinks it will be long until she passes away. I've been racking my brain trying to think of any questions I have that only she can answer since that chance will soon be gone. I asked her already if she remembered when my grandpa made a ring for her that she passed on to me recently.

It's hard to see the ones that have always been there not be there anymore. I cherish my memories of them both.