My Hero

            It doesn’t seem that almost two and a half years have gone by since one of the hardest days of my life. I remember it like it happened yesterday, and I don’t think this memory will ever fade away. It had been a very long Wednesday. I had worked a six hour shift at Dairy Queen and then headed over to Powell. I was going to be a Junior Leader for Girl's Camp later that summer, so I went to meet all the younger girls. We were talking about sharpening pocket knives when my phone started ringing. I didn’t want to interrupt the speaker so I went away from the group. It was my mom calling. From the moment she said hello, I could tell that something was wrong. This was the beginning to this never-ending memory.

            The news from my mom was not what I wanted to hear. She gave me an update on how my Grandpa Wardell was doing. He had been in the hospital since the previous Monday, when he went in for his double knee replacement operation. Right after the surgery he awoke and my grandma told him that he had made it. He said “I did?” and then went back under. He had been under ever since then, and they didn’t know what happened. My mom told me that my grandpa’s brain was very dead! Some of the doctors said that they had never seen a brain that dead before! At this point all I could do was cry. I had to regroup myself before I joined the group again. The rest of that meeting was miserable! I couldn’t take my mind off of my grandpa.

            My mom and siblings were all in Cody watching my little brother’s baseball game. I left my car at the church in Powell and got a ride with one of the leaders from Cody. She dropped me off at the baseball fields and I went straight to my family. Right after the game was over we all got in the car and headed up to Billings. Right before we left my mom’s best friend gave us all a hug and told us that everything would work out. She had lost her husband a few years before at about this same time so she knew how we felt.

            The ride to Billings seemed like it lasted forever. We were all crying and talking about what was going on. As I looked out the windows at the stars it made me think of all the memories I had with my grandpa. Once we got into town, it took us even longer to get to the hospital because we hit every single red light!

            We finally got to the hospital where my dad met us out front. We all ran to him and gave him a big hug! He led us up to the waiting room where all my other family members were waiting, among them was my grandma. I tried to stop crying, but as soon as we embraced, the flood gates opened once again. She told me that I needed to be strong for her. I kind of laughed as I told her to take a look at me because I was a mess!

            Not long after we got there Richard and his family came out of my grandpa’s room. My dad, mom, siblings, and I went into the hallway close to my grandpa’s room. Before we could go in, we had to put these blue apron-like things on and also rubber gloves. My dad was the only one who knew why we had to put that attire on, so questions were being asked left and right.

            When we walked into his room, my heart totally shattered. My grandpa was lying in the bed with all these tubes in his body. I could not believe that someone as tough and stubborn as my grandpa could be in this situation. I held his cold, bony hand for a long time as we all talked to him. With tears rolling down his face, my dad told my grandpa that his grandkids were here to see him. After that remark, my grandpa’s blood pressure rose. It gave us a little hope that a miracle could still happen. I don’t know how to explain all the things that were going through my head. As my little brothers said their final goodbyes, it made me cry even harder! After talking to my grandpa a little longer, I decided to leave the room. I gave him a big hug and kiss and told him that I love him and was going to miss him so much! I also gave my mom and dad a big hug as I walked out. That was the very last time that I saw my grandpa.

            We went back out to the waiting room and visited with all of our relatives. My grandma and all of her kids had to decide when they wanted to let my grandpa “go”. I had to leave at 3:30ish a.m. because I was leaving for Laramie at five. My grandma, dad, and all of his siblings were standing in a circle talking. Before I left I went around the circle and gave them all big hugs. They all told me to keep my head and up and remember all the good things about my grandpa. The last person I hugged was my dad. He told me to go have fun in Laramie. Right as we were leaving they decided that it was time to let my grandpa go and take out all of the tubes and unhook all the machines.

            My grandpa passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 25, 2009. I will never forget that night because it meant a lot to me. It also brought my family closer together even though my oldest sister wasn’t able to be there with us. I know that I would not have been able to make it through this rough time if it wasn't for my family and all of the comfort I received from the Gospel. The section on physical death in "True to the Faith" brought me the comfort and reassurance that I needed. It says, "You have probably experienced the pain that comes at the death of a family member or friend. It is natural to feel sorrow at such times. In fact, mourning is one of the deepest expressions of love. The Lord said, "Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die." (D&C 42:45). The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life. Even as you mourn at the death of loved ones, you can receive comfort in the promise of resurrection and in the assurance that families can be together forever . . . As you live the gospel, you can remember the Lord's promise: "Those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them" (D&C 42:46)."  I truly believe that I will see my grandpa again and I am so thankful that my family is sealed together forever! I will never forget my grandpa because every time I look at my dad, I see my grandpa. 

Alisha, Grandpa Merlin, me, and Grandma Karen after winning the state championship basketball game in 2009