Friday. my favorite day of the week, the day I go to granny's house. I had always loved going to my granny's, she always spoilt me. I used to take her shopping on a Friday. I used to help her, go down the street with her, we did everything together. I loved to help her. It made me feel like I had lifted some weight from her shoulders. She was always there for me and I was always there for her, she was my best friend.
All her life my granny had an illness which led her to shake constantly and she had trouble walking and doing simple tasks. It wasn't life threatening but it did cause her bother. I always used to love staying over at her house because we would stay up late watching TV and talking for hours. We always had a laugh together, it was great. But it wasn't always that way…
My granny and I had fallen out and I hadn't spoken to her in months. Four months passed and I had no intention of talking to her. But in that time my granny had been complaining of a lump in her throat and it wasn't going away. She was struggling to talk and she was losing weight so my mum made her an appointment. The doctor told her that it could possibly be cancer and made her an appointment at another hospital to get some tests.
My granny had always been a heavy smoker. She started when she was young and she thought it helped her with her nerves. But little did she know it would lead to this.
It was the night before my granny's tests. My mum was taking her to Glasgow Southern General hospital which is where it would take place. That night my mum told me what was going on and she asked if I would like to help my granny get ready for her appointment. As soon as I heard those words my heart sank. Cancer. Does this mean she was going to die? Immediately I put all the arguments behind us and I decided to help her.
Once I got to her house my granny was sitting in her favorite chair. My mum had said she was going, not me so I was going to surprise her. As I walked through the old grey house my granny's face light up with happiness. Her granddaughter was back. She seemed ok with the aspect of the tests but through certain things she said and the way she acted, I'm sure that deep inside she knew the answer.
The next day my stomach churned. I felt really nervous for her and I wanted it to go well.
News finally came back. The worst news I had ever heard in my short life. Lung cancer. My granny had lung cancer. My immediate reaction was to cry, so I ran into my room and locked the door. My granny had a life threatening illness. I looked for her in the car but no one was there. She was kept in the hospital for urgent care and treatment. It had all gone so fast. She was being so brave.
The last time I saw my granny was in the beginning of March 2011. She seemed better but we were wrong. I had had a great day at school and I came home to loads of people at my house, why? My mum looked like she had been crying. I knew it was bad news. She held me and my brothers in her arms. The worst news I had ever heard in my life. My granny was dead. I didn't understand. She seemed better.
On the day of my granny's funeral the small church hall was full of granny's friends and family. I could hear the minister talking about how loved my granny was. I could also hear everyone sniffling and I was crying the most, i just couldn't stop sobbing. I could see my granny's coffin and the many flowers there with it, also there was my granny's favorite thing, eeyore dressed as an angel. While I was there I remembered all the good times. The times when she wasn't ill, I also remembered the bad times, when we didn't get along. I listened to every word the minister said about her love of angels and eeyore. When we got to the cemetery, I just paused. I couldn't look at the grave. I just gripped on to my dad tightly. This was the final goodbye. At least I knew she was ok now. She was no longer in pain.
I kept thinking I would wake up and she would be there and that it was all just one long horrible dream. But it never happened. She is gone and there is nothing i can do about it.
I still can't believe it now. Looking back on it I feel the same way as I did just a little less frightened and I am glad we have many happy memories together.
My granny meant the world to me and no one can take that away. I will always remember this traumatic experience and I am never, ever going to forget her. She wasn't just my granny; she was my best friend too.
