I lost my grandpa (I called him Papa) in January of 2018. I am an only child and am super close with my family. I was always over at my grandparents house making bread and listening to him to me stories about his time in the Navy. When he passed, I was devastated but I was thinking more about my Grammy. They were married for 67 (and a half) years and were so in love. I learned a lot from the both of them. I cherish my relationship with my Grammy now, more than ever. I spent a lot of my weekends home from college visiting her and taking her on rides in “Betty Buick”, the car she gave me a few months after Papa passed away. She is my best friend. She is now in memory care at Bethany and when the pandemic hit, we were not able to see her. She was isolated and it changed her. She has fallen a couple of times now and it has made her dementia worse. Luckily, she still knows I’m her “Emmy” but I don’t like seeing her this way. I have covid anxiety. I am scared that if I get it, I’ll be visiting Grammy and give it to her. Because of this, I haven’t been visiting her as often as I truly wish I would. I know she enjoys my visits but they just don’t feel the same. There is so much that I want to tell her: I started school, that I love coaching soccer, etc. I know she wouldn’t understand it now. I have shown her pictures of family but it’s hard to explain who everyone is.
I am currently working on getting my degree in OTA (Occupational Therapy Assistant). It has been a journey for sure. I was going for my masters at University of Findlay and got dismissed from the program because of my grades. Part of me was disappointed and the other part of me thought it was for the best!
I am very excited to pass my pendant off to someone who is very special to me. She was the head coach for a soccer team that I assisted with her… a very special group of young girls! She was there for me during this pandemic and continues to be there for me during a tough time in her life.
Emily