Have you ever been away from someone so long and then with them for so short of a time, but in that time you see how wonderful this person is, and they leave a mark on everybody they meet, see or touch. The thing is this person has a big problem despite how many people they touch on the outside world, the truth is their family is falling apart …you’d never think this beautiful person has a dysfunctional family. This is a story about a lady I can call grandmother her name is Ms. Carolyn Ruth Norwood. My grandmother is a no nonsense person when it comes to her small family she always wants us to do our best in whatever we’re doing no matter what; I’ve always enjoyed having someone to motivate me with humor. It amazes me how the world works because …show more content…
our family has endured a lot of tragedy and heartache, but in some weird way the world always gets us to smile. My grandmother is a strong believer in God; she loves him and always will. Ms. Carolyn makes sure to remind us how good God is, as much as she can and with that I’ve come to learn a lot. After attending one of her routine doctor’s visits and having some lab work done, everything took a turn for the worst you wouldn’t believe it this woman has been living healthy all her life… or so we thought. In December 2015, my grandmother was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, which is a form of cancer of mesothelial tissue associated especially with exposure to asbestos. “What the hell,” I thought out loud, the only thing I understood at the time was cancer. The word cancer wouldn’t stop repeating in my head, this was bad and we all knew it. The doctors gave so many options and types of treatments to try but what was the safest way was the question. I didn’t know what to say nor do. My aunts are my grandmother's medical beneficiaries so it’s up them to make final decisions if need be. My grandmother chose to get a bone marrow transplant as a treatment plan; this was set to take place January 20th, 2016. When this time came she was more than prepared she just wanted to get this out of the way. And that she did. My grandmothers transplant was successful she had it done at the St. David’s cancer treatment center out south on James Casey Lane. She loved the doctors there and had been there for a week now, but after running some test and see that her mobility seems to have been declining the doctors discovered she had had a mild stroke a day before. This was an extra straw for the camel’s back. How could she possibly have had a stroke, Carolyn? After two weeks without moving around she contracted a urinary tract infection… “Ewww,” I thought that has to hurt. After awhile she started asking her daughters where her deceased husband and son was, this was very out of the ordinary then she told us that her other deceased son had just walked out of her room in the hospital. This wasn’t right so we asked the doctor what happened he later confirmed that UTI’s would in most cases make a person hallucinate. And that is exactly what was happening. When my grandmother healed from the bone marrow transplant they wanted to send her home, my aunt thought it would be a better idea if she went to physical therapy at the St.
David’s rehab center on 32nd. So they sent her off to that facility. The whole family agreed that would be great, so she would be able to gain her mobility back. It's February now and after doing all of the therapy my grandmother would be coming home Friday, February the 12th, wow this felt like the worse was coming to an end and she was coming home tomorrow morning. But God had other plans, we had got a call that Friday morning at 3:45 am saying that heart had stopped and that it was unknown how long she had been down, they said it took them ten minutes to get a pulse started and they battled for an hour to stabilize her heartbeat. This was it. She’s gone. But we have to keep the faith when we arrived at the hospital she had only been stable for about five minutes. This to us already was tragic news they had her on a ventilator, which is also known as life support. We knew that at this point in time the lady that was holding the family together was now holding on to her life. The doctors told us that the worst case scenario she could be brain dead, they ran the test and finally found out why her heart stopped. My grandmother had had a pulmonary embolism which is a condition when one or more arteries in the lungs are blocked by a blood clot. This embolism caused her heart to stop. The cooled her body temperature all the way down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit to protect her brain. When they did the CAT scan they revealed that she was, in fact, brain dead and without the machine she wouldn’t
live. This was it this wonderful lady was going to die, it was god’s plan and there was no force to stop it. On Monday, February 15th the family decided that the right thing to do was to let her rest, because the longer she stayed on the aspirator the more her body deteriorated. So they took her off the machine and we all watched her take her last breath. It was done, she was really gone. After all the turmoil was straightened out the family had to get along because it was her dying wish, so we all came together and planned a beautiful home going celebration. Her funeral was held on Saturday, February 20th, 2016 and it was nice. I can still hear her voice now telling us we have to stick together. And from this day forward we have and will.
It is gratifying to know that you are finally on an Honor Flight; a much deserved token of respect for your service! Hopefully, it proves to be a source of wonderful memories for years to come.
One of my earliest memories of Grandpa begins with us driving to the Monmouth Park Racetrack. We sure did love to go to the track and root for Julie Krone or one of our other favorite jockeys. He loved challenges, and he especially loved the challenge of picking the ponies. He would read the race programs in the Asbury Park Press and usually pre-pick most of the day's favorite horses before ever leaving the house. Still, on arrival, we always bought the program and maybe a race sheet or two before entering the track grandstand. After picking up a couple of seats right around the finish line or maybe a little past it, back to figuring he'd go. As he went, grandpa would always point out the horses that had won recently or looked like they were due. "I have a feeling about this one" he'd say.
My grandmother has a certain look in her eyes when something is troubling her: she stares off in a random direction with a wistful, slightly bemused expression on her face, as if she sees something the rest of us can’t see, knows something that we don’t know. It is in these moments, and these moments alone, that she seems distant from us, like a quiet observer watching from afar, her body present but her mind and heart in a place only she can visit. She never says it, but I know, and deep inside, I think they do as well. She wants to be a part of our world. She wants us to be a part of hers. But we don’t belong. Not anymore. Not my brothers—I don’t think they ever did. Maybe I did—once, a long time ago, but I can’t remember anymore. I love my grandmother. She knows that. I know she does, even if I’m never able to convey it adequately to her in words.
I loved you then, I love you still. I always have, and I always will.” This is what I think of when I picture my siblings. We may not be your typical picture perfect family, but we have just as much love for each other as anyone else.
The grandmother is very old and has lived a very tough life in Vietnam. She “‘lost four of [her] children… twelve of [her] grandchildren and countless relatives to wars and famines’” (Meyer, 74) while in Vietnam. During her life she had very little time to enjoy herself, instead she had to focus on not only surviving, but also holding a family together and getting them through the hardships as well. On top of the Vietnam War, which killed an estimated 500,000-600,000 Vietnamese citizens alone (Weisner), she had to live through 2 additional wars and several famines. The implicated stress and hardships are almost unimaginable. This is evident in her stories and fairy tales she tells her granddaughters, which always have dark twist or no happy ending, or as the granddaughters say “The husband comes too late” (Meyer, 77) to stop the bad guy or save the
She woke up with a severe pain in her side and began to have difficulty walking. Any kind of ailment was unusual for her as she had always been a healthy person. This particular Friday morning took her and everyone around her by surprise. Her daughter immediately took her to the hospital where they immediately began to run tests. Several hours later the grimed faced doctors said, Mrs. Flores you have cancer all over your body and it would be best to call all your family together. Forty-seven year old Billie, the pillar of her family, was going to die. Within hours Billie and her eldest daughter were on a private medical plane being flown to Houston to receive emergency treatment. Billie had no other words to say other than “God you are in control of my life”. After several hours of flight, mother and daughter landed in Houston where an overwhelming sense of peace embraced on them. Surgery was scheduled for Monday but after the x-rays came back doctors immediately took her into surgery. There they found several tumors, one that caused significant damage. This particular tumor had eaten part of her vertebrae and compressed her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed. After surgery Billie began to ask God if it was her time to leave. His response to her was, her work was not done. That is all Billie needed to hear, it was time to fight. Billie and her daughter prayed day in and day out. Two
In October of 2001, a friend's sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed she was in so much pain. By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. Because of her pain and sickness, she was sure she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of. She also wanted a last hoorah, so she planned a trip to FL (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19th her brother called to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they
My mother was a complex, multi-faceted person. Many of you here today knew my mother personally, and many of you knew my mother indirectly through one of her family members. You may have known her as a coworker, a friend, or a support person. Of course, all of my mother’s family here today each knew a part of her, a “facet” of her--as a mother, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, a cousin.
Hello, I’m Tala Ashour and I am going to be giving a tribute speech to my role model. How many of you would like to go back in time just to be able to meet a wonderful person you’ve never got the chance to meet? A wise woman who is known as Shannon Alder once said; “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” I would go back in time to meet the most admirable person in my life which is my grandfather because I fell in love with him but never met him. My deceased grandfather was a caring, genuine and humble human being that wanted nothing but a happy, comfortable and acceptable life.
I believe that every person in, in their own unique way, creates a legacy in their lifetime by which others can live long after that person has left us. For those of us who remain, Mildred Johnson has truly created a legacy to uphold and fulfill in our daily lives. I firmly believe that this carrying out is a true honor and responsibility by means of the various facets that Mildred has made her own.
I have an extremely meaningful, vital ticket that is full of redemption, recreation, and relief, but it is not for me. I will simply go home to my hard-working, high-spirited mother to send her off on her well deserved dream trip to the Caribbean islands. When I get home to her, she will be filled with over exaggerated tears along with her usual humble denies of gifts. We will argue for a few minutes only for her to finally take the ticket from my hand as my gratitude for everything she has already put up with, given me, and taught me in my short seventeen years of life.
My Grandma was born in 1942 and lived through the 1960’s. For this project, I interviewed Carol Katz my Grandma on my Dad’s side of the family. I learned that the 1960’s was a really interesting time. My Grandma was in her twenties in the 1960’s and she stated that this decade was a crucial part of her life.
I wish heaven had visiting hours, so that I could visit you on your birthday and for Mother’s Day. I wished I could talk to you when I really need someone to talk to because I feel alone. I never really accepted the reality that you’re gone. I will never hear your voice again or see you smile, and I still cry even thought you have been gone for a long time. My heart still hurts, and I native to how I made it this far.
Good Evening everyone, thank you for attending tonight’s ceremony. First, I would like to thank God for giving us another day. Now, on to the program. We are here to celebrate the achievement of my father, Lester King, earning the rank of Lt. Colonel in the military. He has earned this prestige after years of hard work, dedication, commitment, and sacrifice, being an example of excellence for those around him. Most of all, he has displayed a sturdy and steady pace of leadership. It hasn’t come easy though; as a youth in Antigua, he had to wake up early in the morning to milk cows before school, and then had to walk a few miles to school EVERY SINGLE DAY. This display of conquering challenges translated into the classroom, where he excelled
He was calling him upstairs to show him something. As he entered the room, Grandpa opened the door of his cupboard. There were uncountable boxes of gifts inside. “Is there somebody’s birthday today?” he asked. “No, I used to keep a present in this cupboard every year, on your birthday” Grandpa replied. “We celebrated your first birthday together, and after that I used to miss you a lot”, “As you are here now, I want you to take these gifts back to your house” He added further. He was speechless; he tightly hugged his Grandpa, with tears in his eyes. He was feeling ashamed of thinking that he will have an awful time there. He had no clue that every one of these years, he was actually ignoring the love and affection they had for him, not the “boring” relatives. According to Jane Howard, “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need