My Nana

I called my Nana today. It was out of the blue, but I’m sure she expected to hear from me soon. My father’s mom is quite an incredible woman. She’s a devout catholic who pours all of her energy into everything she does. And she has lung cancer. It breaks my heart. Nearly 4 years ago my Papa passed away from myriad health problems. The one time firefighter struggled for the last few years of his life. My Nana was by his side, every step of the way. Even if she hadn’t been a nurse, she still would have been devoted to caring for him. It saddens me now because she doesn’t have someone to support her through chemo and radiation.

She has six children, and each of them visit her frequently. My aunt, who lives in Florida, has been to CT twice since she was diagnosed. That’s two more times then last year. My uncle, who resides in TX, makes visit near monthly. And I know she considers herself blessed that they want to be there for her.

There are a total of fourteen of us grandchildren. The youngest is four, and while he doesn’t understand what’s going on, he loves to visit her. I kick myself for not visiting more often. I’ve been selfish with my time, and I should spend more of it with her. She’s quite the character after all. She’s charitable with her spirit and gives her time to the church. She’s more then crafty with the clothes she’s created. My Nana loves each of her grandchildren and thinks of us all the time. And she certainly is generous with her opinions. Sometimes I think we get her riled up because when she’s adamant about something she breaths fire. That sort of passion isn’t seen in many these days.

While she may take center stage when she defends something she believes in, she never asks for attention. I think I might have to show her a little more attention though. For weeks I’ve been trying to come up with a charity to raise money for when I run the Fairfield Half-Marathon. Running to support a local cancer foundation just might be a way I can show my support for her.