My Grandmother Forget

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.

My grandfather's dementia had gotten worse with age. He had developed a habit of walking out of the house randomly. They lived alone in their apartment in Pakistan. One day he walked out the same way and did not return for a long time. We were later informed that he had tripped on his way and broke his hip. After surgery my grandmother called me, I was living abroad at that time, and said, "I don't think he will recover, he is in a lot of pain" I assured her otherwise. She said, "I can't live without him. I don’t want him to die." The helplessness and grief in her voice was agonizing. She would often call and cry, it became tough overtime as I was abroad and not fully aware of his progress. I am her oldest grandchild, and she treats me like

The day my dad had a car wreck on the highway I realized how close I was to losing him. My mom got a call from a lady when she was at work telling her that my dad had been in a car accident on I-75. She went straight to the hospital where he was, not knowing his condition. My grandmother was taking care of me and my sisters that day. When my mom called my grandmother I knew there was something wrong. My grandmother didn’t say anything to me or my sisters. She didn’t want to scare us.

Have you ever experienced something you wish you hadn´t? It all happened one day when my grandma was diagnosed with cancer. I never wanted to hear those words in my life, but I did unfortunately. She would spend numerous days in the hospital and we would desperately wait each and every day hoping to receive good news. We would visit her in the hospital various times and everytime I saw her face, my heart would feel as if it was breaking. Just by looking at her I knew she was tired and every time she smiled, all I could hear was ¨help me¨. I would always sit next to her and tell her that everything would be okay, but all she ever did was smile

On May 11th 2013, my grandma passed away due to pancreatic cancer. A little later that year on September 25th, my mom received a call from my aunt in Guam that my dad had passed away in his sleep. Then on May 14th 2014, my grandpa passed from complications of an allergic reaction to a medication. So within a year, I was left to deal with three immediate family deaths, one right after another. Losing such important figures in one’s life could leave someone depressed and unmotivated to move on with their own life and to rise above those challenges is difficult, yet possible. During this time of hardship, I grew discouraged and saddened, but over time I became motivated to set aside these struggles and make a change.

It’s August 28th, 2015 I had just moved to Grand Valley State University two days ago. Its 6:15am. My cell phone is ringing. It was my brother and I thought it was too early for him to be calling me, so I sent his call to voicemail, it rang again, I thought to myself, “Why on earth is he calling me at 6:15 in the morning it’s too early for this”, So I finally decided to answer the call and I got the news that my grandma passed away. It wasn’t totally unexpected, she was on hospice care an entire week before I left for college and I’ve watched her slowly deteriorate because of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.

My Great Grandma was my best friend, I’m not sure how else to describe our relationship. She was someone I looked up to and hoped to be like when I grew up. She taught me a lot about life and how crazy it can be. Whenever I have tough days I replay her encouraging words in my head. Towards the end of February of 2013, my family received a call from my Great Grandpa to inform us that my Great Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. We found this out only a few weeks before we were supposed to head down to Arizona to visit them for spring break. Our family didn’t know how severe it was going down there, we came to find out she was genuinely unhealthy. She didn’t want to leave her room, she didn’t want to complete simple tasks, she would tell

“I know how hard it is to lose someone,” said Mrs. Navaz, my boss, as I asked for a day off of work. This was just recently when my grandfather had two strokes within a period of two weeks. When she first told me this, I was frozen; I didn’t know how to respond. I gratefully thought back to all the experiences I shared with my grandfather growing up and how he shaped me into the person I am today.

I was eight when it all happened. I knew that my grandma was ill but being a clueless little kid i never quite understood the severity of her sickness. I remember when my dad first told me that my grandma was sick, i didn't think anything of it i honestly thought he just meant that she came down with the flu. We’d visit frequently, and every time i'd always tell my dad i didn't know what he was talking about because she seemed completely fine. Her face still brightened with a the happiest glow when she saw me and my sisters. She still loved to teach us how to bake, even though by the end of it her once neat and tidy kitchen, was now a total mess. She didn't care though because our

It all started about 6 years ago over the summer; I have been staying with my grandmother and my older sister for about a month, and during that time, we were always happy and having fun, my grandma was completely healthy for someone her age always in a happy mood and active. I remember one day we were walking outside talking about what we wanted to do or be when we grow up. As we were walking around her garden, she started complaining about her chest hurting so I offered to go and get her some water. I ran inside and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and ran back to her, I saw her sitting on a bench clutching her chest, she tried to stand up but she almost fell over. My sister and I rushed to her side and walked back to the house when, we got inside we yelled for our aunt to come down stairs and told her what had happen. After that, I do

Sometimes, the sorrowful events in life bring out the best in your life and yourself. Two years ago, I went through true maturation through a traumatic event that immensely affected me as a person. As pencils were being sharpened and the sounds of school filtered back into my life, I found out my Grandma had Cancer. In an effort to provide better treatment, she came to live with us for four months. That time was incredibly precious and special as I saw my Grandma in a whole new light. I saw her strength, her tenacity, and her positivity.

“Molly, we have something to tell you,” my parents said, walking into the living room with saddened looks on their faces. I paused the movie and awaited their news. “Your grandma has been diagnosed with cancer.” I definitely was not expecting that to be the news, so it hit me like a brick wall; I was troubled and overwhelmed by the news to such an extent that I was speechless. She has been an important figure in my life for as long as I can remember and has always been there to listen and give me advice whenever I need it. Her insight into the important things in life has helped me and will continue to as I pursue my dreams for years to come.

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.

Looking back on my encounters with death, I think that I still have some acceptance issues that I need to deal with. I try so hard to be the rock for people and I wish that I could take their pain, but I know that that isn’t possible. Over the years, I have blamed myself and have dealt with unimaginable pain and I think that I still have yet to learn that death is inevitable. I understand that I cannot escape death, but I want to avoid it as much as possible. I hope that there is a day when it is my time to go that I welcome death and my family can accept it as

As we mature, we learn to appreciate certain people in our lives, for instance: our grandparents. We live with the fear that we can lose them in the blink of an eye, as every passing day brings them closer to their death beds (hyperbole), but we're too busy living our lives, making time for work, school, and friends (Euphemism). We assure ourselves that we have forever to spend with them, but that is where we are mistaken. Unfortunately, this year in January, I experienced the cruel reality of death, myself. I have realized, truly how much death can change your perspective on many aspects of life. When I faced with this death, I began to appreciate family more, began to express my love for them more out of the fear that any goodbye could be the last.