Rest in Peace, Nanay

It's a very sad time for my family. My grandmother Nanay passed away.

It started a short while back. She had been feeling under the weather for a few days so I took her to the hospital for some tests. At that time, she was still able to walk. Despite the prescribed medication, she continued to be be sick so my family took her to the hospital where she was confined. Once her vitals got better, my family took her home. Unfortunately, once she was out of the hospital, her condition rapidly worsened. After a few days at home, we had to bring her back to the hospital. Her condition fluctuated while she was there - some days it was good, others it wasn't - and unfortunately for us, after some time, she passed away.

What is really sad to me is that she seemed to be doing fine up until she got sick. In fact, in the last year, she joined several get-togethers, some of them quite far from where we live. Since August 2022, she attended three family reunions, six birthday celebrations, a wedding, a memorial, and a Christmas celebration at my aunt's house. Even before the pandemic, Nanay would often decline invites because she found it too tiring to leave home so it was a very pleasant surprise that she started going out again. In that period of time, she got to see many of our relatives that she hadn't seen in years. She also got to catch up face-to-face with one of her dear friends. I thought that we would have many more opportunities to take Nanay out, especially since she could still walk. Sadly, that won't happen anymore.

That said, it was about as good a way to go as any. Nanay was 96 years old, a really good age, and she got to reconnect with many of the most important people in her life in her last year with us. Even at the hospital, there were a couple of days where she got a bit stronger. She even started to have cravings despite having no appetite for a few weeks. I got her Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream because that was her favorite flavor and she was able to enjoy it. Many of us were with her at the hospital hours before her last breath and we got to talk to her while we were there. I'm happy that she was surrounded by family before she passed on.

It hasn't been that long since we lost her but things have definitely not been the same. I miss our conversations and how sharp her memory continued to be. I miss bringing her favorite food whenever I would visit. I miss watching movies and shows with her on Sunday afternoons. I miss playing her favorite music in the car whenever I drove her. I also miss taking her to visit my grandfather and other relatives at the cemetery and praying for them every week until Nanay didn't have the energy to do that anymore. However, I am thankful that Nanay had a great life and that she is now free from pain and discomfort.

Rest in Peace, Nanay. We love you!