September started off like any other September. The kids were excited to get back to school and I was running around trying to get my house back in order from the crazy summer. And then it went downhill from there. :(
My wonderful, amazing, classy, kindhearted grandmother got sick. She started off feeling rough and coughing. She swore it was just a chest cold and nothing more. Two weeks later she was still sick and not improving so everyone convinced her to see a doctor. She did and he diagnosed her with bronchitis and sent her home with meds. Ten days later--and all the meds gone--she was still very sick, so we sent her back to the doctor. This time he says it's pneumonia, gives her more meds, and says he'd like her to go to the hospital the next week for more thorough testing. She's 77 years old and things just get her down more than the rest of us.
A few days later, four days before the scheduled hospital testing, Granny is in BAD shape. My aunt and mom do all they can to convince her to let us take her to the hospital. They even allow Granny to pack her bag and take a shower before calling the ambulance to come get her. So she goes.
Our family isn't large, but we all came together and made sure there was always someone at the hospital with her. She was there for two weeks, going downhill the entire time. Finally, she is released to go home on September 23rd. Hospice is scheduled to take care of her. She's non-responsive at this point and we all know she's just going home for her final days.
I spent all morning with her on September 24th. Her hospice nurse came and gave her a bath and changed her clothes. I sat and talked to her when no one else was around. I kissed her good-bye and told her I had to go pick the kids up from school. "I'll be back in the morning, Granny."
Three hours later my sister called me to let me know Granny had passed away, and for me to come back to her house. I was there when the hospice nurse came to pronounce her. I was there when the funeral home came to pick up her body. I was there afterward when my mom was crying.
On September 27th we laid my grandmother to rest beside her husband and son.
My grandmother was the best lady I've ever known. She loved us all and would give anything she had to help someone in need. She taught me all about canning, and shared our favorite recipes. She was an inventive woman who could turn the most minuscule things in a pantry into a full course meal. She took care of herself and many others over the years. Even just a couple of days before she passed she was telling us not to fret over her, or mess up our schedules just to sit with her. We wouldn't stop though. <3
Overall, she passed away from cancer. Melanoma that she didn't take care of spread to her lungs, liver, and up her esophagus. She decided none of us needed to know about it and she just let it take her over until the bitter end.
Sooooooo, September sucked ass around here. I apologize for not getting To Kill a Demon out into the world, and I hope my wonderful readers understand why it just wasn't as important as being there for my grandmother in her final days. I have so much to do in my writing that I feel I'll never get it all done.
I guess it's better to have too much to do than too little and become bored. Of course, I don't feel like I'll ever not have something to do. Boredom is a incomprehensible word around here.
