My Grandma Changed My Life

My great-grandmother was the matriarch of my family. When I was in seventh grade, around thirteen years old, she passed away due to breast cancer. This misfortune created an extremely difficult time for me because, not only was I adjusting to the environment of junior high, but many other issues were occurring in my life; this was the third death that I was having to deal with. Unfortunately, one of the previous deaths (that I was still trying to hurdle through and come to terms with), had occurred almost exactly a year before the passing of my great-grandmother. The second death that I had gone through occurred only one or two months before my great-grandma has passed. All of this turmoil created numerous internal conflicts for me, but also taught me a key lesson to keep note of, for the rest of my life.

Losing a grandparent at the age of 11 and younger was hard enough but losing one at the age of thirty-five hurt just as much. My grandmother is still living, I wasn't as close to them as I was to my other grandparents but there was still a relationship that was built throughout my lifetime. I had the chance to visit my grandfather while he was in the hospital. Regretfully when I went to see him he was too ill to have a conversation with, but my grandmother reassured me that it was ok because he knew I was there. My grandfather was cremated, this was the first time I attended a funeral where I saw a box of ashes holding someone who I loved. His funeral consisted our close family members and my grandfather's remains were placed in a mausoleum. His death affected all of us in one way or another, this was the first time I saw my dad cry. It makes me sad that he is no longer with us but glad he is no longer

It was near the end of winter 2005, when my grand-aunt suddenly fell ill. In a short period of time her illness worsened and the doctors informed my family, my grand-aunt only had a couple of months to live. The news was devastating to my family as we watched a vivacious, independent, and outspoken woman, who enjoyed shopping, reading mystery novels and spending time with family become very weak and confined to her bed. Instead of placing my grand-aunt in a hospice facility, my family and I, with the assistance of a hospice nurse cared for my grand-aunt in her home until her passing.

I have lost my grandpa and have not gotten over the idea of it. When I was in the sixth grade, my grandfather was very sick; he could barely walk. While my grandmother and some other family members went uptown for some household things, food, and medication, I was told to take care of him. Yet, I wanted to play with my friends outside. He told me to go ahead and play, but for some reason I just got mad and slammed the door and left. Around nighttime, I seen an ambulance pull up to my grandparents’ house.

Right when I walked through the door, I got a burst of happiness. I felt safe, warm, and loved. The house smelled just like a fresh batch of moist, delicious brownies right out of the oven. There wasn't a single time I walked through the door and felt disappointed or sad. This feeling is just one of the many reasons my grandma had a huge impact on my life.

My mom's brother died at a young age, and her mom died of ALS. My dad´s mom died from cancer when he was seven, and his dad died when I was one year old. We were taught that death is part of a life cycle, and it eventually will happen to all of us. We were taught to not mourn the loss of a loved one, but to celebrate the life that they lived. My mom's brother had a disease that made his legs not work. Mom told me that whenever she felt sad about the death of her brother she would think about how happy he is in heaven, because he would have legs that he could use. Other people handle death in a different way. Many people cry, and feel really sad about death. Others like to share happy moments in the loved one´s life. I do believe there is a right and wrong way to grieve. Of course most people will shed tears and be upset for maybe a few weeks. But many people will go on and on about the sadness. It's almost like they shut down. They could start making bad decisions, stop doing hobbies that they like, or turn against their religion. I believe the right way to grieve is to celebrate the loved one´s life. Talking about good memories is a great way to cope with the death. Surrounding yourself with family and friends who can help give you a shoulder to cry on or talk about good memories they had with the loved one that passed

Having a close relationship with three of my grandparents, as well as being present during each of their dying processes, has greatly shaped my view of death. Death has a way of causing us to reflect. Death causes each of us to reflect on the life that is ending as we know it, to reflect on our lives and to reflect on the legacy we want to leave behind when it becomes our time. Having the

The death of a loved one is an event that all of us are likely to experience during our lifetimes,

Death is something that never gets easier to process. Every time you lose a person close to you, whether it is expected or not, it is a hard challenge to overcome. Whether you are young or older, the death of that person has a way of entering your thoughts and affecting your moods or actions. Sometimes the memory of someone they have lost can follow a person for years after the fact or only for a short time. Different people have different ways of accepting that person's absence and working through their grief.

Watching my grandmother lay in the hospital and dieing was one of the most painful feelings I have ever felt in my life. I felt many different emotions when she passed away. I felt sad, angry, shocked, and many more, but all those feelings made me stronger as person mentally. I knew that one day everyone would die and no one could control that. Her death affected me in both a positive and negative way. My dad regrets many things that he did to his mom, so I know now that one day my parents will die and I should respect them and let them know I love them every day. The death of my grandma also made a negative effect on my life. Ever since she passed away my family been breaking

Death is different for everyone and every culture. Some see it as a celebration, some a time for mourning and grief, and some cultures just go on with their lives and deal with it however they please. In my family's way of life, it's a time for grieving, but knowing we will see her one day again soon. Religion is a big part of my family and lifestyle, so I know where my mom went, and even though I won't see her on Earth again, I know I will see her in Heaven. Which, even though comforting, was still hard for me to accept and grasp. Transitioning from having my mom to fall back on when I needed help, and her not being there anymore is a harsh part of the reality of adulthood, real adulthood. My mom used to make my appointments for me, took care of me when I was ill, held me when I was sad, and now she's not there. She'll never be there for the most important parts of my life. She'll never see me graduate college, get married, or hold my child in her arms. I am now the sole matriarch of my future family and that was and is still hard to think about. Even though I won't have to take that responsibility on for a few years, I have to deal with that now, because I have to start learning how to do things on my own; not just for me now, but for my future self and family as well. Turning eighteen, graduating from high school, going to college, and the death of my mother is a lot to take in; but like I said

I have had many family members of mine pass away, but the one death that I am going to share is the one with my poppop, Daniel DelCasale, on my dad’s side of the family. It was not the first death of a relative of mine, but it was the first death that had an effect on me and that I remember having a reaction to. Both of my grandmothers passed away by the time I was six years old. I did not go to my mommom’s funeral on my mom’s side because I was only five years old. I did, though, go to my Nana’s funeral, however, I do not remember going or anything for some reason.

I, however, did not cope with death too well. The moment when I found out about my grandmothers death is something I remember like it was yesterday. Let me start from the beginning.

Though some may say, myself included, that the death of a family member is one of the hardest, toughest, traumatic things to deal with, it also comes with a good side. That good side is that it brings people together to not only mourn over a loss, but to celebrate the life of someone great. One can either sink from a situation like this, or one can rise. I feel like my family and I chose to rise from this. We were all changed in so many ways. My grandma, Veronica, was especially changed the most. She and my granddad did absolutely everything together. They

Losing my grandmother was one of the worst things that have happened to me. When she died, I knew my life had changed. I watched her take her last breath in the hospital and it was very heartbreaking. She was like my second mom because she was always with me. I didn’t think it would come so soon. Dealing with her death was one of the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do. It was very hard because it was my second experience of losing someone very close to me around the same time of the year. I had to learn how to cope with losing her. I let all my emotions out, I didn’t listen to what anyone was saying, and I had to remember to take care of myself. Losing my grandmother changed me because she did everything for me. I had to grow up and be more responsible. I had to learn how