Family Issues

ETA: Grandma died Sunday at 5am. We will miss her. The service is on Saturday.

Please forgive me if I am postingly challenged the next little while. My husband’s grandmother is dying and needless to say, life has been a wee bit stressful! My 8 year old son, Jameson, understands she is dying, but only sort of. Great-grandma is well  over 80, has had a bad heart forever, she’s been dying of an aortic aneurysm ever since I have known my husband - 12 years, has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and suffered a massive stroke a couple days ago. Poor kiddo still thinks living is better than dying even though she is mostly comatose and almost completely unresponsive, not eating or drinking and certainly not enjoying life. He doesn’t understand that death is welcome at this stage and the baby is just plain scared even though there are no scary medical devices at this stage, in palliative care. Jameson decided today, after much deliberation, to see her even though she doesn’t really look like she did, even a week ago when we visited. I think seeing her like that was scary but he was brave and did well as can be expected of a little guy. I haven’t asked yet but maybe he understands better now that she isn’t really there. Last time she was happy, singing and definitely enjoyed our company. She watched Jameson reprise his 70’s song and dance from the spring concert at school, asked for a drawing for her bulletin board and was laughing while smackin’ high fives with Spencer. Today there is nothing of her real self left.  I feel so bad for Jameson, he is such a sweet, sensitive little soul! If anyone is interested in sending a card to cheer him up, let me know and I’ll pass along our address; he’d be thrilled!

Pictures: TOP Anne Harris with Jameson as a baby in 2001, MIDDLE &  BOTTOM Anne Harris with Spencer as a baby in 2007.