Two weeks ago, my sweet 97-year-old grandma fell. She was at her neighbor's house, letting the neighbor's dogs out (just like my grandma to be doing service for her neighbors). She was on the neighbor's front porch. She said she heard a sound and turned and fell. She was using her cane, which she doesn't like because "that's for old people," but somehow she lost her balance. She said it was the strangest feeling. She told me, "I thought I'd never fall." Luckily, the noise she heard was a neighbor lady dragging a garbage can, and that lady was there to help. I am grateful my grandma didn't have to lay there in pain, with broken bones, for hours before someone found her. The lady called some neighbor men to help get grandma up and then took her to the hospital. (My parents, who live right behind G'ma, were in Utah for my nephew's graduation.)
She broke her arm, just below her wrist and her femur, right below the hip. They did surgery - put a metal plate in her arm and a long pin in her leg. My parents rushed back to Mesquite to be with her after surgery. They, however, had a trip planned to Puerto Rico for their 50th anniversary and we all wanted them to go. My second cousins were able to come for four days, I was able to go for five days, and her sister is there for the last three days before my parents come home.
I drove down Friday morning to see her. She looked great. Her arms were purple ALL OVER. One arm was bruised from taking blood so many times. Luckily, they were done doing that. The other arm was purple from the fall. She has 3 sets of staples in her leg, about 6 inches apart from the surgery. She needed help moving from laying down to sitting up to standing up with her walker. Her appetite was just coming back. But her spirits were high, her outlook positive, and her personality - charming as ever.
John took the shuttle down Saturday morning so he could come see Grandma. She absolutely adores him! She calls him John Boy and they love to banter back and forth.
Sunday afternoon I gave her a mini pedicure. Her feet are tiny, just like the rest of her.
I learned about her swimming experience. She and her sisters tried to teach each other in a "swimming hole." They tied a rope around the one in the water and she said the water was freezing. When her parents found out about it, they got mad and that was the end of swimming lessons until years later when she took a course through the Red Cross.
I learned that my dad used a few swear words as a little kid (which he has never used since joining the church at BYU). G'ma said he heard them all the time from his grandparents and parents. :)
I learned that she never learned how to ride a bike. She tried to learn on Dad's bike once, but never could get the hang of it.
I learned that her parents (Italian immigrants from Switzerland) ordered dry goods once a year from "an outfit" in Salt Lake. Big crates would come on the train. They got dry fruits, flour, and saltine crackers. They kept the food on a table upstairs. They put a type of metal tubing around the table legs to keep the critters from climbing up. She and her siblings loved to eat the crackers in bed at night.
I learned that sometime in the 60's, when she and G'pa were living in Las Vegas, that she babysat my other grandma's sister's kids (so my 2nd cousins on my mom's side) for a week while they went on vacation. There were three kids at the time, the youngest under a year old. She wasn't even related to them.
I enjoyed hearing her talk about how much she loves her daughter-in-law, my mom.
On Sunday afternoon, I brought my General Conference Ensign to the hospital. She wanted to hear a talk from our prophet, President Monson. We read his talk titled, "The Race of Life." Afterward we talked about where we'll go after this life. We both have lots of questions, but we share a strong faith in God's plan for us. We know we'll see G'pa again and live together forever.
I got to rub her back and arms and feet with "grease" so they'd stop itching.
We talked about the weather, politics, her dog, the progress in the garden, her bowels (if you know her, that will make you smile).
All of the nurses, assistant, food people, custodians, therapists loved her and greeted her warmly. They all said, "If I live to be 97, I want to be just like her." So do I.
She's going to be around for awhile still. This may have slowed her down, but she's a fighter! That's a good thing. I will never be ready for her to go. I'm so grateful I got to spend this time with her - priceless!!
Love you G'ma!!
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