Goodbye Grandmommie

"I am sad and happy" was what Brandon said yesterday.  Brandon went to special Olympics Bowling yesterday morning to participate in his individual competition.  I was really proud of him.  He supported his competition from another school.  The other boy was in the wheelchair.  They both did great in the competition.  Brandon insisting on pushing his wheelchair from one event to another and then to the medal ceremony.  At some point I heard Brandon say "he should win gold and I should win sliver"  Indeed that is what happened.  Brandon was very happy with the outcome and I was proud of him.  Five years ago he would not have said the same.  Great Sportsmanship.

In Rummel tradition, after the competition in San Marcos we headed over to the Outlet Mall.  I bought Brandon some new shoes and new sheets.  But the phone rang as we were checking out.  It was my brother asking me to come over to check on my mom.  She has been in a nursing facility since her surgery in late October.  We were about to move her to a new facility in central Austin and I had been meeting with the nursing home, hospice services and making transition arrangements for several weeks.  My mom was checked last week for dementia and had great results.  She had lost 20 pounds, but in good spirits and could carry on a conversation with you.  At 91 she was doing remarkable well given all her medical issues.  Brandon and I drove over to the nursing home and I called hospice on my way over.  Brandon and I got to her room and it was clear that she was about to leave us.  She was in and out of consciousness.  Brandon was sad and excited not knowing exactly what was happening.  The hospice nurse took us out in the hall and explained that my mom (Brandon's grandmother) was dying.  Brandon listened to this and related to George Harrison and John Lennon.  He said that she was headed to heaven.  Brandon's brother Patrick called in the middle of this on FaceTime from Iraq and talked to Brandon.  Brandon said he was sad and happy.  Happy that he had won in Special Olympics but sad that his Grandmother was headed to heaven.  Brandon was very sweet and started patting my mother.  In some ways he was handing it better than everyone else.  Brandon went home with Ross for the rest of the day.  This morning I came back to the nursing home and at 3:00 after my brothers left the nursing home and then my mother silently stopped breathing.  She had a good life and she said she was ready to move to that next phase.  We were all sad but also did not want her to suffer any longer.  My brother Jack and I sang My Old Kentucky Home for her with a You Tube video. 

My mom was Brandon's rock.  From the time he was born she was 100% supportive of all things Brandon.  She helped with his care, supported him financially when I could not, she helped with school decisions, care giver decisions, therapies, doctors visits, stayed at the hospital with him for the numerous hospital stays early in his life.  She helped try to teach Brandon many things because of her school teacher background.  She was a rock star grandmother.  My mom lived a great life and a long life to age 91.  We are all going to miss her in our lives.  I think especially Brandon because they really had that special bond.  So today's blog is a tribute to "Mary Rummel" who is now up in heaven in her Old Kentucky Home she so loved.