Miles from Fenway: Papa

Looking back, some of my favorite posts on this blog have either been about, or related to, my Papa. There was the one when I wrote about his house in Pawtucket. The time I wrote about the dance we shared at my cousin's wedding. I wrote twice about his time in WWII.

And it's appropriate. Papa is an amazing guy. He's sturdy. He's solid.

He's also sick.

In the last few years, my parents, aunts and uncles, hell, even my brother and I, have tried to convince my mom's parents that it was time to move back from Florida. They've spent over a decade down there, but my grandmother's physical health has been diminishing for quite some time. She can no longer be left alone. She has to use a walker or scooter to get around. And while my Papa has been doing the best he can, when it comes down to it, he's still in his 80s. Loading a 100lb scooter into the car isn't getting any easier for him. And then there was always the constant fear of "What if something happens to him?" Flights can only get to FL so fast, and all of my family lives at least a four hour flight away. No one would be with grandma.

This may not be the worst case scenario, but it's close. Papa has a tumor. Yesterday we were informed it was only 3cm long and the procedure would be minimally invasive. Today? Further testing shows it’s 5cm long and that his kidney will have to be removed. This is complicated for a number of reasons, all of them involving the fact that he’s not exactly a spring chicken anymore. And all requiring various family members to take weeks off at a time to be down there to care for my grandmother.

From all reports, the likelihood of anything spreading, or of Papa not making it out of the surgery are minimal. But I’m scared none-the-less. Fully realizing that I am incredibly lucky to be almost 27 years old and still have 3 of my 4 grandparents doesn't make the thought of their mortality any easier to face.

Labels: family

posted by FINY @ Tuesday, June 05, 2007

3 Comments:

At 6/06/2007, Meredith said…

I hope your grandpa feels better soon!
At 6/06/2007, Anonymous said…

So sorry to hear that Finy. I hope he's better soon. It's a scary thing hearing tumor. My mother recently went through her own bout with it. Thankfully she's come out of it good so far, but it doesn't make it any easier.

I'll keep your Papa in my thoughts.
At 6/07/2007, Esther said…

I'm sorry to hear about this. I'll keep thinking good thoughts for your Papa.