BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
My grandmother, Evelyn Baase (born May 31, 1922), has been sick for a very long time. Whenever I have asked, people tell me it is not Alzheimer's although to me the symptoms sound very much the same. My dad tells me that she has shown symptoms of this for decades, actually, even when he was a kid. Things really took a turn for the worse after my grandfather Fred died in 1991. The last time I saw her was in 1993 at the age of 18, when my cousin got married.
My dad was born in upstate New York, in a little town called Hamlin in Monroe county (near Rochester). He moved to Chicago in the late 60s where he met and married my mom and settled down. I've lived my whole life in Chicago. Before my grandpa died, we used to visit Hamlin often - every other year or so, it seemed, or relatives from there would come out here to visit us. My parents, my two sisters, and myself had not gone up there since my cousin's wedding.
I decided to take a trip back up there in 2002 with my sisters and not-yet-fiancée. We got to see my uncle Rick Baase. We had a great time, and it was a great road trip. Rick told us that seeing grandma would be a bad idea. We had known that she was sick, but what he told us really got us downhearted. She was simply not herself anymore. It started with her being merely forgetful and confused. At the time of my cousin Gretchen's wedding I remember my uncles telling my father that she always though that grandpa "Fritz" was outside doing chores or something, and they had to keep reminding her that he was gone. As we lost touch with my uncles, we didn't get news about her as frequently, but we found out that this disease progressed. She started forgetting people she knew - she thought that Rick was actually her beloved Fritz on more than one occasion - and eventually, she could not even remember who her sons were. A few years ago, she didn't even respond to her own name. When we were there in 2002, she was nonverbal and bedridden. So, trusting our uncle's advice, we dropped our plans to see her. We have talked about plans to go back to NY, but have not gotten around to it. In fact, I was just at my other grandma's house just last week telling her about grandma "Evvy".
My uncle Rick sent me this e-mail on New Years Eve (which hampered my festive evening a bit):
"Hi. Please tell your mom and dad that grandma is not eating anymore. She cannot swallow and the only option to feed her is by using a tube, which we have told the nursing home to not do. We have instructed them to not assist her by any artificial way to keep her alive. Her quality of life has left her long ago. Say a prayer for her. Take care."
So now, she is really dying. I called my Mom that afternoon and told her the news (dad was at work). I haven't spoken to the old man yet, but I heard that he was upset - I will see him at church tomorrow morning (if I can get to bed early enough to wake up for it that is). I guess they called my unlce, and his wife told them that the doctors don't expect her to live for more than a week or so without artificial means.
So, I guess, this is it.
Edit: updated title...
My dad was born in upstate New York, in a little town called Hamlin in Monroe county (near Rochester). He moved to Chicago in the late 60s where he met and married my mom and settled down. I've lived my whole life in Chicago. Before my grandpa died, we used to visit Hamlin often - every other year or so, it seemed, or relatives from there would come out here to visit us. My parents, my two sisters, and myself had not gone up there since my cousin's wedding.
I decided to take a trip back up there in 2002 with my sisters and not-yet-fiancée. We got to see my uncle Rick Baase. We had a great time, and it was a great road trip. Rick told us that seeing grandma would be a bad idea. We had known that she was sick, but what he told us really got us downhearted. She was simply not herself anymore. It started with her being merely forgetful and confused. At the time of my cousin Gretchen's wedding I remember my uncles telling my father that she always though that grandpa "Fritz" was outside doing chores or something, and they had to keep reminding her that he was gone. As we lost touch with my uncles, we didn't get news about her as frequently, but we found out that this disease progressed. She started forgetting people she knew - she thought that Rick was actually her beloved Fritz on more than one occasion - and eventually, she could not even remember who her sons were. A few years ago, she didn't even respond to her own name. When we were there in 2002, she was nonverbal and bedridden. So, trusting our uncle's advice, we dropped our plans to see her. We have talked about plans to go back to NY, but have not gotten around to it. In fact, I was just at my other grandma's house just last week telling her about grandma "Evvy".
My uncle Rick sent me this e-mail on New Years Eve (which hampered my festive evening a bit):
"Hi. Please tell your mom and dad that grandma is not eating anymore. She cannot swallow and the only option to feed her is by using a tube, which we have told the nursing home to not do. We have instructed them to not assist her by any artificial way to keep her alive. Her quality of life has left her long ago. Say a prayer for her. Take care."
So now, she is really dying. I called my Mom that afternoon and told her the news (dad was at work). I haven't spoken to the old man yet, but I heard that he was upset - I will see him at church tomorrow morning (if I can get to bed early enough to wake up for it that is). I guess they called my unlce, and his wife told them that the doctors don't expect her to live for more than a week or so without artificial means.
So, I guess, this is it.
Edit: updated title...
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