Court House Babe

Devastation Starts with a "C"

    Cancer, that one thing that no one wants but some are unfortunate enough to develop. Some people are lucky and beat the damn thing. Others, well they aren't so lucky. My grandma Riley on my dads side was like a mother to me. She was always there for me, when my dad was out of town I stayed with her and my grandpa. She helped me with my homework, always made my favorite meals and had the best snacks in the pantry. She loved to garden and sew. 

    She helped make what was left of my childhood great. The one year about two-ish weeks after my birthday we got the news. She had stage four lung cancer. She was given six months to a year to live. She was the strongest woman I ever knew, she went through countless bouts of Chemotherapy as I watched her rapidly deteriorating health drain her mentally and physically.

    If she asked me to do something, like prune her rose bush outside, I did. I didn't know the proper way to prune a rose bush but I did, I did it for her. The whole time I was worried that when I went back in to tell her I finished that she'd be gone. She wasn't. She was given a book called "Heaven is Real." She told me she didn't have the energy to read it, so she asked me to read it and give her s sort of book report. 

    I took the book home and started reading it. I also started to croche her a blanket like she taught me too because she was always cold. Halfway through the blanket and about three chapters into the book I showed her the progress I was making on the blanket and gave her a report on what I'd read. I just knew she wouldn't be here for me to finish it. When she saw the blanket, she cried, so did my grandpa. My grandpa cried because for the first time since she got diagnosed, she smile and cried tears of happiness instead of sadness and pain.

    July 4th, one of my least favorite holidays. My dad took me ice skating to celebrate the day. He was a horrible ice skater and ended up hurting is knee permanently. Later that evening we went to a poker party. All day I had this overwhelming feeling to go and see grandma Riley. My dad said to not worry about it that we would just go see her the next day. That never happened.

    July 5th, 2011, 3:30 am. A day and time I will NEVER forget. After numerous scares and trips to the hospital, it was her time. My dad ran into my room after getting the call from my aunt. I put my slippers on and grabbed the baby blanket my grandma Riley had made for me and ran downstairs. My dad put on a shirt, pants, and slippers all the while I yelled at him to hurry up. We sped down the highway going way past 40 over the speed limit. Lucky for us there was no one on the highway and no cops around.

   As we pulled into the parking garage I saw my younger cousin Emma, she had a hopeful look to her face. She thought it was just a close scare, but when she saw the tears on my face through the windshield she started crying because she knew. She knew our grandma was gone forever. They waited while we parked our car. When I reached Emma she wrapped her arms around me and cried. We all walked to into the hospital in silence, the only thing that could be heard was out feet on the pavement and our crying. 

    See her lay there on the metal death bed was a sight I can't get out of my brain. She was so still. I sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, it was so stiff and cold. I have never cried so much in my life over a person.

   ~*This chapter is dedicated to my Grandma, you will always be loved, missed and in our hearts and thoughts. Rest in Peace. 1943-2011 <3*~