Monday, January 12, 2009

Bye Bye Pop

Today the most awful thing happened. One I never, ever expected.
The day started off ok, my nephew Lachlan had stayed over and he, my Dad and I had popped out to the shops (having bunked church - oops, sorry God) whilst Mum did a bit of last minute grocery shopping as the plan was to be away on Dad's boat this week with the boys. All was going good until Dad, having left Cash Converters with a few well earned bargains, realised his phone was off. Turning it on, he discovered a missed call from my Uncle Tim - my Grandpa ('Pop' to his kids and Great-Grandkids, 'Grandpa' to the rest) had been suddenly rushed to hospital.
Dad raced Mum up to the hospital whilst I waited with Lachie to hear the news. At 3pm, the news I had feared the most came - drop everything and come now, he's not going to be with us much longer.
We got up there and my poor Grandpa was hooked up so many machines. He looked so pale, so helpless, and so not like the big, strong man I remember. Apparently he had complained of a terrible headache, and went to lie down. The pain was so bad that Nanny asked him if he needed the ambulance, and he said that he thought he did. Turns out he suffered a massive haemorrhage in his brain from which there was no recovery.
I felt so privileged though to be able to spend time with him there in the hospital, even though he wasn't awake. We sang to him, talked with him, and then Major McMurray (who had only just been sworn in at Stafford Salvation Army that morning, and who knew the family from his youth when he and my uncle Neville went to school together) prayed. As he prayed, Grandpa sat up a bit in bed and squeezed Nanny's hand - she took that as a sign that he was telling her he loved her. I like to think he was saying that too.
The nurses took him off the machines around 4pm or so - because if he passed away whilst he was hooked up, then it would be a coroner's enquiry, and an autopsy would be required - but if he passed away without the machines, it would be a completely different scenario. We would be able to spend as much time with him as we wanted. This was particularly helpful as my uncle Neville was having to travel down from Atherton and wouldn't be arriving until 7.15pm to Brisbane airport - so he probably wouldn't be at the hospital until at least 8pm. We told Grandpa that Neville was on his way in the hopes that he could hang on that long, but unfortunately at 5.27pm he slipped from this life and into the next, to meet his Saviour.
This is so sudden, especially when you realise that not 2 nights ago we were celebrating his and Nanny's 60th wedding anniversary, and now, 2 days later - he's gone. Tonight I should've been blogging about the wonderful anniversary party, not this. I just can't believe it. Especially when you remember that we lost my other Grandpa only 3 months ago. Just can't believe it.
Here is a pic of my Grandpa as I would like to remember him, from his 60th wedding anniversary 2 nights ago...
My sister Beck has more photos and her loving account here if you would like to read it.
Bye Bye Pop... We love you and we miss you...

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