Early on a Friday morning, just a few days before Memorial Day, I got a call from my Mom. I knew immedately something was wrong--her voice sounded strange, there was a lot of noise wherever she was and it was 7 am. My mom never calls at 7 am.

Apparently, my 89 year old Grandma had had a brain aneurysm. In fact, she had 2 by the time they transported her from my hometown to the University of Iowa hospital. My mom told me to get to the hospital soon, because it didn't look good.

Over the course of the next few days my family pretty much watched over my Grandma day and night. The neurosurgeons, neurologists and physicans in the Pallitive Care Unit at UIHC were shocked that she made it past the first 24 hours and even more shocked that she made it through the weekend and ended up being transferred to a hospice where she lived for about a week..

Luckily, I was able to spend a lot of time with my grandma. I was able to talk to her and tell her how much all of loved her. I was able to apologize for not sending her a thank you card for something she sent me a few weeks ago, but most importantly I was able to just sit with her.

On Sunday, June 3, 2007 she passed away in her sleep. She lived a full life and will be missed by her family, friends and church.