Journal Notes: My Nana

 In June of 1978, Nana was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease. Any form of cancer in the seventies was a death sentence. Not much was known about cancer and it caused fear in the hearts of many. Friends and some family backed away, probably unsure of what to say or do.

Quickly, Nana's body was racked with pain and eaten alive from the inside out. We kept her at home as long as possible. At age 12,  I spent my days by her side learning to give medicine and care for her other needs. I read and talked to her; it is where I wanted to be. I treasure those moments in time as painful as they were for both she and I.

Nana's physician would come by weekly to check on her and administer chemo. He would sit at the kitchen table and mix the drugs for her chemotherapy. He carefully and methodically tried to save his patient, but nothing worked. The tray of medications was enormous, but Nana continued to decline, daily.

From early June to late September; that's all the time three little girls had left with the most important person in their lives. Papa lived for about two more years, but it was not the same. Papa spoiled us, but Nana  had provided a safe haven from the outside world. Life forever changed in her absence. Heaven gained a godly mother and grandmother,  earth lost a priceless treasure.

By HIS mercy and in the grip of HIS grace,

Andrea Bowling Perdue