Pray for Grandma Mary

 Please pray for my stepmother, Grandma Mary.  You may remember that two weeks ago we visited her in the gazebo outside the Richland Christian Home where she lives.  I mentioned that she was not feeling well.  Actually she had a scratchy voice and a bit of a cough.  She said it came from sleeping with her fan on the night before.  She was also not her jolly self.  Often she could not finish things she started to say because she couldn't remember what she was going to say.  For the first time ever I had a hard time thinking what else to talk about with her because conversation seemed so hard.  She mentioned that it had gotten so hot again, but it really wasn't hot at all.  It was a very pleasant day.  When the care girl came to get her at the end of the visit I mentioned her cough and what she had said it came from.  The girl said,  "I was the one that turned the fan on for you, and I was wondering about that because you never want it on." Mary said, "But it was so hot last night."  

I had a bad feeling when we left that visit.  I wondered if she perhaps had a fever.  The next day was her 93rd birthday, and her sons were planning to be there for cake and a little party under the carport.  However, she woke up feeling much worse, and the birthday celebration was called off.  Several others at the home were sick also that day.  All four of them were tested for COVID.  (For the record, the home has done an excellent job of mitigation and keeping the virus out of the facility.)  As the week progressed Mary's health continued to fail more and more.  By the end of that week (last Sunday) her COVID results came back positive.  

At that point her sons were given permission to be in her room with her, of course with full personal protective gear on, since she was not allowed out of her room.   This picture was taken on Sunday, September 13 when she had the first visit in her room with her son Roy.  She was so happy!  

When we saw that picture it seemed hard to imagine that she would not bounce back.  However, in this past week she has declined so rapidly. Her sons have put Hospice in charge of her care and they are taking turns being with her.  She is not awake and aware for the most part, but she often says, "Please take me, please take me."  Her son Roy keeps me updated so I can keep our Witmer family updated.  This morning he called me to give the update.  He told me that this morning she was reaching out and calling to my dad and to her brother (who just passed away in April) and to her mother.  Roy and I cried together.  

It feels so very sad, knowing how she cared so lovingly for my dad to the very end 11 years ago, and now we can't be there for her.  Bless her dear sons.  This is so very, very sad.

Of course, when Dick and I heard that she had tested positive we thought a good bit about our visit with her.  We both had masks on the entire visit, although she did not.  We did not touch her at all, and we were a good distance apart.  We had not had any symptoms, but to be cautious we decided to get tested.  Dick took a few vacation days last week, and we did not go anywhere until we got the phone calls that we were negative.  

Although it is so hard to imagine never again being with her and laughing with her, our cry truly is that Jesus would answer her cries and take her home quickly.