Facing Hospice

If you would have asked me when I was a teenager when I thought my grandmother might get sick enough to even think about her passing, I would have quickly responded, "100!"

Allow me to tell you about my beautiful grandmother, Aline Guerra Martinez. The picture above is how I will always remember Mombo in my heart. My grandmother was always extremely energetic, strong, classy, and beautiful. She had a work ethic like no other. When my parents divorced when I was 12 years old, my three sisters and I went to live with my grandparents. It's a long story for another post, but I lived with my grandparents permanently from 12 years old until I went to college. Living with Mombo was like having an older mom, but she could definitely keep up!

Mombo, as we've always called her, was and is one of a kind. So many people call her a "saint" which goes to show you that I'm not just showing preference. 

Mombo didn't work outside the home, but she worked tirelessly to keep a beautiful home and give us delicious, home-cooked meals and everything we needed to be successful at school. You have never seen anything like what Mombo could do! I'm talking hot scrambled eggs, toast, and cold orange juice daily. A well-stocked healthy lunchbox- all the time. A perfectly pressed school uniform. All the coordinating for extra-curricular activities for me and my sisters. The list goes on and on.

But, it's not just what she did for us. It's who she is. She is gentle and kind. She doesn't speak ill of others. She works hard without complaint. She thinks of others first. She had the heart of a servant. She is so so giving. It was hard to understand how someone could give give give and never feel emptied. She just has a never-ending supply of doing for others.

All the while, all the years: Never. A. Complaint. Not, once- "I'm tired." Not once, " I just can't." Not once, "I just need a break." Whatever was necessary, whatever had to be done- she did it. She didn't pawn off duties on someone else. She took it all on- and never broke.

Just think of it. What if you had to raise your four grandkids full time after raising your own children? Well, if she ever saw us a burden, which I honestly don't think was the case, she never let us see it that way. She opened up her home with nothing but love.

Mombo was and is a saint. To know her is to know love.

With the onset of Parkinson's and Alzheimers over the past couple of years, her decline in health has been fast and heart breaking. She has been robbed of her strength and ability to think. Tears are falling as I write this because it is so heart wrenching to watch someone you love go through this.

I hope Mombo can hold on a bit longer. A friend told me that sometimes near the end, Alzheimers patients will remember clearly and have great conversations.  I pray that happens. I saw glimpses of pure joy today during our visit and I hope to experience more moments like that. So much of her mind is gone already, it's horrible to see. If you have someone if your family with Alzheimers, you can relate.

But, tonight, my heart breaks. At 37, I am losing my grandmother- my grandmother who is a whole lot more like a mother to me.

If you have any words of wisdom, please share with the community and me. I know that I am not alone in this type of heartbreak of losing someone you love dearly. If not, please pray for our family- that we can cope with what's happening and that Mombo is comforted by our presence when we can be with her.