My grandma is the quintessential grandmother. She is loving, sweet, and my #1 fan. She always takes my sides in debates between my mother and I. She's an amazing woman of God and I just wish I had half her faith. She raised 6 kids and is currently raising her 14-year-old twin granddaughters, which is something I do not envy her on. My grandma is an amazing lady and I have so many sweet memories with her.I remember marshmellow fluff and peanut butter on crackers. I remember late night chats, sipping hot chocolate for me and hot tea for her. I remember having special Sundays with my grandparents when I would get to spend the hours between morning and night church with them and only them. I remember playing grocery store, where she would get out Pops' printing calculator. We would label prices for all the food and then go to town buying from the "store". I remember seeing her beaming face at all of my graduations and big events. I remember laughter, tears, inspiration, love. I remember support, gentleness, sweetness, and heart.
I remember finding out on Tuesday, May 6th at work that my grandma was in the hospital, scheduled to have surgery to have her appendix removed. I remember finding out later in the day that, after a bevy of tests, the doctors had realized it wasn't her appendix but a tumor growing in her colon. I remember sitting in the waiting room during her surgery the next day. I remember finding out that the tumor had been removed but it was malignant. I remember being in the room when my mom told her she had cancer. I remember the peace I felt, knowing cancer could not keep my grandma down. I remember seeing my grandma lose pound after pound, transforming her from my plump and soft grandma to a frail woman I barely recognized. I remember loving how her spirit never changed - she relentlessly pursued after God. I remember the utter relief I felt when a PET scan revealed no cancer in her body on October 14. I remember being the one to serve my grandma, instead her serving me (like she had every holiday before), on Christmas Day, just one day after she finished her last round of chemotherapy.
I remember seeing my grandma transform, slowly, back into the woman I used to know. I remember the first time she went out to a restaurant since starting her treatment. I remember her strength coming back and her faith stronger than ever.
---
My grandma had a PET scan in March, which came back clean. She just had another PET scan, one year after her first one, last Thursday. This whole week, I have prayed and prayed for good results. And they were! My grandma, my amazing, beautiful, inspiring grandmother, has been cancer-free for one entire year. I can't tell you how awesome and wonderful this news is!
It's amazing that my grandma, in her late 60's, managed to beat Stage IV colon cancer! I'm sure it felt like a death sentence for her, but I had this all-encompassing peace that my grandma would beat cancer. She is such an integral part of our family that I just couldn't imagine God taking her away from us. She's way too important to us. She's way too important to me.
