Brighten Your Day

My grandpa had a major left-sided hemorrhagic stroke, and the first thing that he lost was his ability to speak and fine motor skills, as my grandma knew she needed to call 911 when she realized he was unable to bring a glass of water up to his mouth.

She said that before she did so, my grandpa pulled her into his lap and gave her the tightest hug ever.

Soon after, he closed his eyes and never opened them again (he remained on life support for a couple days, but it was a massive bleed and the doctors determined that all of his cognition was pretty much gone, and he had an advance directive not to be kept alive in such a situation.)

He was an amazing and selfless man, and in such a terrifying situation that he found himself rapidly declining in his ability to speak and perform basic functions, I am in awe that the first (and last) thing he wanted was to do his best to let my grandma know how much she meant to him.

They were married for almost 60 years.