Grandmothers tend to play significant roles in our lives: a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend. Those roles defined my nana, my other half. Whether it was going bowling or helping her cook dinner, we were always on the move together. She was always such a productive, independent woman who loved to engage with others, whether it was family or friends from her retirement community. Although, with all those highs came a sudden low. I began to notice a change in my nana’s attitude and her ability to move. A negative feeling sparked inside of me, and I remained optimistic that this was just a temporary change. Even though my hopes remained high, my mind attempted to process what this change was. Nonetheless, those hopes were demolished after I was informed of the terrible news.
    ALS. I was completely oblivious to this disease. My mind questioned how my nana was diagnosed with such a drastic illness. The only way I became more knowledgeable of ALS was witnessing her undergo the symptoms. I was incapable of processing how my nana went from being so active to barely being able to move as her muscles began to weaken and her ability to perform physical activities was no longer in her control. This led her to rely on a walker as her only source of movement. It was devastating knowing that I could not do as much with my nana as I used to be able to. We barely left her house, and it was hard to accept that we could not go out anymore. This was just the start to a lengthy journey of fighting future symptoms that were to come.
    Along with her inability to walk, I recognized that something else was missing. Her soothing and comforting voice was absolutely gone. The only way of understanding her and what she attempted to say was through the robotic voice that screamed from her iPad as she slowly typed out her thoughts. I continued to grow more upset as I saw this disease continue to take advantage of her life. I refused to accept this change, developing such a burden on my life.
    After a long time of battling ALS, my nana could no longer continue to combat the disease; she peacefully passed away in May of 2013. With her death came many tears and the struggle to accept that she was gone. It was a complicated tragedy to overcome, especially when I had to cope with the side of the family that I was not close with. All of my cousins are out of college and live all over the globe, and we barely connect with one another. But, my nana’s death rekindled my relationship with my dad’s side as we were able to reunite and cope together as one. We pushed through the mourning together and grew as closer and stronger as ever. I learned that through all the peaks and lows of life, what is most important is the support from family. As one once said, “The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.”