Something you don't see every day
Warning: this entry deals with a sad topic in a mature way (this is not an angsty teen entry). If you feel depressed or otherwise not good, reading this won't cheer you up.
How many of you have seen their father cry? I saw mine cry for the first time today. It was understandable. He was standing over his dying father.
Wait, let's rewind a bit. The family on my father's side has an hereditary problem whose name escapes me at the moment. It is a special gene that causes its owner to have some difficulties swallowing. With some food that cannot be lacerated easily (such as red meat), there is a highened chance of choking. My grandfather had it, and so did most (all?) his children. It gets worse with age. Those who dine regularly with my dad have probably seen him choke a few times when he's not careful.
Well, in my grandfather's case, the "disease" (not sure what to call it) had gotten a lot worse in the last few years. Old and weakened, he began eating less and less, which slowly drained his morale. My grandfather used to be a big tough trucker, and now he weighs about 80 pounds.
Three days ago he was brought to the hospital, not because an accident happened but because his wife just couldn't support him anymore (she's healthy but still old). He couldn't walk by himself, couldn't eat at all (he hasn't eaten anything solid in months), could only mumble, etc. And so, my dad and his brothers/sisters (they are 10 children in all) have spent most of their time keeping him company at the hospital since then.
My grandfather has always been terrified of dying. He clings to life, no matter the cost. When he was brought to the hospital, he finally understood that he wasn't going to come back out. He signed a paper himself stating that no surgical intervention will be performed on him to save his life. He was determined to finally leave this world. He requested that all his children come to see him and they did, except one, who couldn't be reached (also a trucker, he was in Colorado).
Yesterday, the missing brother was finally contacted by phone, and my grandfather got to talk to him. He ended the phone call with a "thank you". After hanging up, he said (mumbled) "I won't be needing this anymore" and took off his respiratory apparel (you know, the oxygen tubes they put in the nostrils of terminal patients). He had finally talked to all his kids and was ready to die.
Later that night, he went into a coma. The doctors unplugged him completed (no insulin intake anymore). My dad came back home, certain that his father wouldn't make it through the night. The next morning, he asked me and my mother to come with him to the hospital. We drove there and found out that earlier in the morning, he woke up from his coma! Despite all he did, he simply cannot bring himself to step into the next world. He is still scared of dying.
His current state is officially "conscious" but he cannot talk, can barely move (I saw him move his hands and legs in nonsensical ways), and blankly stares at the ceiling. We know he is conscious because he twitches when we talk to him and tears flow from his eyes when his kids talk to him. It is upon seeing him in that state that my father started crying. Some people think my grandfather is waiting his missing kid to come visit in person (he should be there tomorrow), but I believe that he's simply still scared of dying. He's lying in a bed, not suffering (doped with morphine for his chest pains), with (almost) all his children reunited with him. I think he feels happy about this so I don't think he wants to leave that just yet.
At any rate, the clock is ticking. The morphine forces his heart to pump more, and eventually it'll have to give out. I don't think anything less than a cardiac arrest can tear him away from life which he loved so much back then. He will probably cling with all his strength until the very end.
How many of you have seen their father cry? I saw mine cry for the first time today. It was understandable. He was standing over his dying father.
Wait, let's rewind a bit. The family on my father's side has an hereditary problem whose name escapes me at the moment. It is a special gene that causes its owner to have some difficulties swallowing. With some food that cannot be lacerated easily (such as red meat), there is a highened chance of choking. My grandfather had it, and so did most (all?) his children. It gets worse with age. Those who dine regularly with my dad have probably seen him choke a few times when he's not careful.
Well, in my grandfather's case, the "disease" (not sure what to call it) had gotten a lot worse in the last few years. Old and weakened, he began eating less and less, which slowly drained his morale. My grandfather used to be a big tough trucker, and now he weighs about 80 pounds.
Three days ago he was brought to the hospital, not because an accident happened but because his wife just couldn't support him anymore (she's healthy but still old). He couldn't walk by himself, couldn't eat at all (he hasn't eaten anything solid in months), could only mumble, etc. And so, my dad and his brothers/sisters (they are 10 children in all) have spent most of their time keeping him company at the hospital since then.
My grandfather has always been terrified of dying. He clings to life, no matter the cost. When he was brought to the hospital, he finally understood that he wasn't going to come back out. He signed a paper himself stating that no surgical intervention will be performed on him to save his life. He was determined to finally leave this world. He requested that all his children come to see him and they did, except one, who couldn't be reached (also a trucker, he was in Colorado).
Yesterday, the missing brother was finally contacted by phone, and my grandfather got to talk to him. He ended the phone call with a "thank you". After hanging up, he said (mumbled) "I won't be needing this anymore" and took off his respiratory apparel (you know, the oxygen tubes they put in the nostrils of terminal patients). He had finally talked to all his kids and was ready to die.
Later that night, he went into a coma. The doctors unplugged him completed (no insulin intake anymore). My dad came back home, certain that his father wouldn't make it through the night. The next morning, he asked me and my mother to come with him to the hospital. We drove there and found out that earlier in the morning, he woke up from his coma! Despite all he did, he simply cannot bring himself to step into the next world. He is still scared of dying.
His current state is officially "conscious" but he cannot talk, can barely move (I saw him move his hands and legs in nonsensical ways), and blankly stares at the ceiling. We know he is conscious because he twitches when we talk to him and tears flow from his eyes when his kids talk to him. It is upon seeing him in that state that my father started crying. Some people think my grandfather is waiting his missing kid to come visit in person (he should be there tomorrow), but I believe that he's simply still scared of dying. He's lying in a bed, not suffering (doped with morphine for his chest pains), with (almost) all his children reunited with him. I think he feels happy about this so I don't think he wants to leave that just yet.
At any rate, the clock is ticking. The morphine forces his heart to pump more, and eventually it'll have to give out. I don't think anything less than a cardiac arrest can tear him away from life which he loved so much back then. He will probably cling with all his strength until the very end.