My sophomore year of High School was really the end of my childhood and the beginning of adulthood. Before Christmas break even started, both of my grandfathers had passed away. Two days before the start of school, my family received word that my dad’s grandfather had passed away. We were told he had passed away in his sleep the night before, very quietly and peacefully. This was certainly not a surprise for us, He had had cancer for almost two full years before freely deciding to stop chemotherapy.
We saw it coming, but it was still very painful. The funeral service was that week, so I missed my first four days of school and started school a week late. My grandfather on my dads side was someone I looked up to, and aspired to be like because of his fantastic positive attitude, strong spirit and bold personality. Even though he lived in Ohio, and I lived in Connecticut, I felt very close to him and had always wished to spend more time with him. The fact that I didn’t left a mark on me and still bothers me to this day.
Fast forward to December 10th, same year, my mom’s father was hospitalized for an illness the doctors could not identify, but was obviously extremely serious. Three days later, we find out he has a very aggressive and serious case of cancer in his liver, a kind they had only seen once before. During his two short weeks of hospitalization, his condition plummeted extremely rapidly. It got to the point that my brother and I were taken out of school early and told we had to go pack for three days and drive up to Albany New York where my grandfather’s hospital was.
Out of all his grandchildren, only two were brave enough to go and say our final respects to him, which was me and my cousin Luke. All the grandkids were given the option of not going because even our parents were having a tough time keeping their composure. Then, on December 17, exactly one week before Christmas Eve, he passed away surrounded by family and the sounds of Frank Sinatra, his favorite singer. My mothers father was also another person who I greatly admired and looked up to, but in a different way.
He was also a strong spirited man and a very hard worker, but he was more laid back and relaxed than pretty much anyone I’ve ever met. Both of these events were packed into a five month period, in what felt like a rapid fire set up. My two grandfathers passing helped reinforce the notion of hard work paying off for years down the line, and helped to shape the type of student and person I am today. That lesson has helped to transition me from childhood into adulthood, and will continue to help me throughout the rest of my life.
