Ode to Pawpaw: Keep climbing that Hill

This weeks episode tells the story of my Pawpaw.  He was an absolutely wonderful man that was a beacon of Joy wherever he went.  And even though my family and I were convinced that he would easily make it to 100 at his 90th birthday, the decline started rapidly after he broke his hip at 94.

This is the last story detailing how losing an older loved one looks through the eyes of a Nurse that has worked in virtually every hospital department possible.  The hospital is really good at solving acute problems but death isn't acute, it's inevitable.  I know that I have a skewed perspective from the things I've seen in the ICU, but I believe that it is worth sharing in order to bring an understanding that there are things worse than death in this world.

Pawpaw lived his life to the fullest and even though he couldn't get his butt more than a few inches off the water, I do remember him water skiing behind a pontoon boat at the age of 70 something. He was in his mid-80s tubing in the smoky mountains before he got sucked into a hydraulic for a second or two to get out.  Then he stood up and said, I'm getting too old for this.  And somewhere in his late 70s or 80s he had a stroke and then got west nile virus misdiagnosed as a second stroke and survived with a feeding placed and gave him many more quality years.

But at the end he agreed to a feeding tube probably knowing that it wasn't going to solve his problems.  He gave himself to the very end for the woman and children he loved dearly.  I feel blessed that he was able to keep his mind for 94 years and share it with the world.

Support the show

Thanks for listening! To Find out more about Scrubs in the Trenches check out my website at www.scrubsintheTrenches.com and if you want to book a call to find out more about Nurse Coaching and how it can help you check me out at www.higherreflectioncoaching.com