Death
When I was young, I heard about death, but never really understood it. It was a hard concept for me to grasp. The true meaning was kept from me. Violence and death were portrayed all the time, everywhere I looked, but in a fantasy-like way. My grandfathers passing brought me to understand what death really meant and what accompanied it. Seeing him go through so many changes before his death made me understand it was a horrible and grueling experience for everyone involved. Understanding the concept of life and death was a major step in my coming of age.For the first four years of my life the only person that took care of me, other than my parents, was my grandfather, Paw Paw. He was a caring and nurturing man who was always there when I needed him. A large man, who could always strike up laughter, he reminded many of the comedian Jackie Gleason. Paw Paw was the "Candyman," always having pudding and sweets for me. He said he liked them so much. When he was younger, he could only have graham crackers and milk after his school day, which made sweets so important to him. He was a joy to be around and a very kind man. On the other hand, when he became sick Paw Paw was muc
During the next four years I experienced his illness and eventually his death. Paw Paw was a self induced diabetic; partially caused from all the sweets he consumed. The diabetes caused him to have his leg amputated, because of poor circulation. It hurt to see him thin, unable to walk, and confined to a wheelchair. Even worse, I had to see him go through another operation, when he fell and hurt his leg. Paw Paw had two more inches removed from the stump of his amputated leg. He had to stay awake during his surgery because his heart was bad, and the doctors were afraid he would die if put under anesthesia. As a child, I remember hearing that they were unable to put him to sleep. Hearing and seeing these things happen to a close relative, frightened me and also forced me to understand that death is a long and painful process. In addition to Paw Paw's illness, my life at home changed. My mother and father were never around. She was always visiting the hospital and my father had a business to run. Torn between caring for her father and taking care of her family, my mother chose to spend a great deal of time with my grandfather. Due to these facts, nannies and babysitters looked after me. These successions of events impacted me in a major way because my f
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Approximate Word count = 857
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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