KACKY's Journal

So it has been rough and very sad but we are getting thru this time.  The wake isn't until Sunday and the funeral on Monday.  I will just work the rest of the week and take off Monday, maybe Tuesday next week depending on how we all feel.  We haven't told Jimmy yet and that is gonna be tough since him and his Grandpa were very close.  He had such a hard time with his dog, I can't even imagine what will be going thru his mind about the whole death thing with Grandpa.  He knew Grandpa was sick for some time so maybe that will help.  He knew that Grandpa had trouble breathing.  He just turned 65 this February, so young.....  He had Lympnoid Leukemia but it was in remission for a few years now but he still had trouble with his breathing due to the low immune system and blood cell levels.  His lungs were not strong enough for him to breath on his own and he did not want to be on any machines, etc.  We got to talk, laugh, cry and smile one last time with him Monday night.  He even got to watch his last Sox game and see some old friends who flew/drove in.  He was sedated pretty much the whole time until the 3rd time he pulled the breathing tube out himself and then they had him on oxygen until his last breath.  They already had him on morphine so he felt no pain.  This is how he wanted to go, with a smile and memories. 

He was actually Jim's step-dad, he pretty much raised Jim when his real father died when he was like 8 or 10.  Jim has an older sister (41) and a younger sister who just turned 28 - "Grandpa" is his younger sisters real dad.  We always called Jim's dad Grandpa cuz of Jimmy I guess.  Jimmy would give Grandpa a hard time cuz he liked the SOX and Jimmy decided he liked the CUBS instead just to get Grandpa worked up (little stinker).  Jim's older sister was gonna tell her 3 kids last night (they are boys 14,12 and daughter almost 7).  I think we were gonna wait till Friday so Jimmy doesn't have a tough time during school and then he will have the weekend to maybe adjust over the news and we can be there for him.  Jim's sister's father-in-law died a few years ago so her kids have been thru this with their other grandpa but the little one (Brooke, she is 7 months older than Jimmy) may have a tougher time than the older boys.  I will have to call Kim and see how they are doing.  It's sad for the kids ya know.  

I really appreciate all your support, thank you but I kinda wanted to give some details and share a happy but sad ending.  He is no longer in pain and went the way he wanted it, one last SOX game and familY and friends......