It was less than a month ago that I made the 18-hour drive home from Michigan; I wasn’t planning on returning (back to Michigan) so soon, but circumstances and fate ended up making the decision for me. You see, my grandmother had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer just prior to my arrival in early May (the end of the trans-Atlantic trip on the ISADORA). I was lucky enough to be able to spend some quality time with my noticeably weaker, yet still completely coherent grandmother during the two months that I spent before returning to Colorado; however, being away from my home for a complete year made returning a rather high priority. I drove back to Colorado with my long-time friend Mike fully aware that a return trip to Michigan might be needed in the near future…
I received a call from my mother last Thursday informing me that my grandmother had taken a turn for the worse and that I should start looking for a flight back soon. Ignorant of the actual urgency of the situation, I booked a flight scheduled to arrive in Detroit at 8:20pm the next Tuesday. I was hoping to possibly get my landscaping issues taken care of prior to flying back to Michigan. The landscaping plans were quickly scrapped when I received another call (this time from my father) Friday evening informing me that the nurses looking after my grandmother were only expecting her to survive another 24-48 hours. I then changed my outgoing flight to the next available and left Denver International at 6:50am Sunday morning.
I arrived at my grandmother’s apartment stock full of some very exhausted family members (many days had passed where my uncle, aunt, father, mother and cousins had been waiting for the inevitable with very little sleep) and my grandmother – extremely weakened and unable to talk but still alive. I had made it back before she passed and was able to speak to her. Although she was unable to speak back to me, I do believe that she was aware of my presence as she struggled to open her eyes while I was speaking with her. I’m not sure how coherent she was – the morphine may have hindered her a bit – but I am positive that she was aware of my presence.
The next day she appeared to have quite a bit more energy. She was able to open her eyes without much hassle and was even attempting to speak. We all (my family) did our best to keep her comfortable however it was pretty much all down-hill from there. I returned on Tuesday and spent a couple of hours with her prior to heading out for a round of disc golf with my brother. It was only the Hospice nurse and me (I was glad for this as I was hoping that others were finally getting some much needed rest) and I helped roll her over a couple of times. She would open her eyes during these adjustment periods however the glazed look in her eyes didn’t appear to have any comprehension. I told her that I would be coming back – perhaps not that day – but that I would be returning and said, “For now, goodbye.” These are the last words that I spoke to my grandmother.
I received a call on my cell phone during the ride back from the disc-golf course with my brother. It was my sister-in-law. She told me that granny had passed.
The funereal was earlier today and the burial will be in a few days down in Murray, Kentucky. I’ve decided not to head down to Murray and will actually be flying back to my home in Colorado this Sunday afternoon. Although no elaborate ceremony or display is scheduled in Kentucky, family members will have the opportunity to attend the burial with her two sons (my father and uncle) and their wives. It’ll be a solemn burial for a wonderful woman.Although she has passed from our mortal world, Grandma Bowen will forever live in my heart.
bis später,
Coriolis
