GRANDMA CARED

The hospice nurse and I went out to admit, "Kelly", a sixty-three year old suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Kelly has needed help throughout her life as she also suffers from Down's Syndrome. Kelly was being cared for by her sister, "Stacey".

Stacey just wanted the facts about hospice. I spoke about the hospice team members and the support each is able to give patients and families. When I mentioned the chaplain, Stacey adamantly shook her head strongly saying, "No!" I tried to explain that, yes, religion is spiritual, but spirituality is so much more than that. It is about one’s philosophy regarding life or about their garden etc.

When we offered any compassion to Stacey, she would state, “I am fine. Now what about....? “ I think our compassion touched her heart as she started to share her lifelong health problems. She would talk for about five minutes and then say, “Enough about me, we need to move on.” A few minutes later, she would add more about her life. Stacey was so fascinating and had a wonderful way of sharing her history. In the midst of her health problems, she would tell us about a family member or a friend whom she helped.

Stacey didn’t want us to see her heart, but when she shared the story about her surgery at age two, my heart totally melted and I had some tears in my eyes. It was a beautiful story. Stacey gives out so much love, but she downplays it. It is a natural way for her to just be who she is. What a beautiful person. Her warmth, her love, her stories will, thankfully, stay with me for a long time.


GRANDMA CARED

She has had struggles throughout her life.
Many health issues have impacted her family.
She learned all about caring
and all about love early on.

She is the one the family turns to
when needing help and support.
She does it without complaint saying,
"It is something that has to be done."

She acts tough and strong.
No emotions are allowed out.
But then she started to share her stories.
How her own health has impacted her life.

A birth defect affecting her skull.
So many surgeries throughout her life.
But the most memorable one of all,
was at a young age of two.

She remembers being in pain
until her deceased Grandma picked her up.
She was on Grandma's lap until surgery's end.
Then Grandma helped her back into her body.

She has been dealt difficult cards,
but she has positively embraced her pain
by helping others throughout her life.
At age two she learned all about love
because
         Grandma cared.