LogFAQs > #939581182

I'm sorry for your loss. I know how it feels to lose a grandparent, I lost four out of five (I'm including an in-law) but before the pandemic. I first lost my maternal grandfather to cancer in spring 1998 when I was 8 years old. I loved that man, he was my favorite and always made me laugh. He died too young at 62. I lost the other three in quick succession, starting with my paternal grandmother by marriage (she married my grandfather before I was born and I always considered her my third grandmother) in February 2017. Her death was sudden and unexpected. She fell ill one day and was sent to the hospital. My father was there, then she was apparently getting better and was to return home soon, so my father left and by the time he returned home (the trip was 1-2 hours), something went wrong and she died. My biological paternal grandmother died the following summer due to complications linked to Alzheimer's disease. I had technically lost her a decade early when she couldn't remember me anymore and I stopped seeing her as a result. Finally, my paternal grandfather died of old age and grief in February 2018 when he was 91. His funerals took place exactly one year after his wife's. He had lost the will to live. He survived cancer twice, but losing his wife was too much of a toll.

My only grandparent still alive is my maternal grandmother. She's 85 and not really in good shape. She's still autonomous, but has difficulty walking, hearing and seeing. We had to postpone her cataract surgery for her remaining eye (the other was fixed, it was decided that we wouldn't operate both eyes at the same time) due to the pandemic. She lives in an apartment block for the elderly and thankfully the virus hasn't penetrated its walls. The staff is handling the situation quite well. Visitors aren't even allowed inside. She hasn't left her home for over two months now. She's precious to me and the rest of our family, so we all want her to remain inside and quarantine herself. We talk to her on the phone to make sure she's fine and she doesn't get lonely. Although I do miss seeing her, I don't want her to be a victim of COVID-19. We'll be sure to do a party at her place once the pandemic is over for good.

I've always been closer to my mother's side of the family. Losing my grandfather in 1998 was really hard. It was much less difficult losing those from my father's side. I was still sad, but it didn't hit me quite as hard. Since my remaining grandmother started to show signs of deterioration 4-5 years ago, I started to come to accept the reality that she won't be around forever anymore, but losing her will be really hard, that's for sure. This pandemic doesn't help. Normally I'd want to spend as much time with her as possible, but doing so right now could potentially cause her premature death.

Cherish the time you have left with your loved ones and cherish the memory of those you have lost.

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I'm French speaking.
30/Male/Quebec