Grandma

Your outlook to life changes when you have had a life threatening illness and surgery and still live with fragile health. Family moments are hugely important to most people, but after events such as these, precious family moments suddenly become very intense, you strive towards them, enjoy every moment while they happen and value that you've reached yet another milestone and been able to make another precious memory. 

Earlier on this year, Rob and I had the lovely news that we were to be grandparents in the new year. Sarah is expecting her first baby very soon in January. Who knows if the baby is early, it might even be a Christmas baby. If all goes to plan, this will be another massive milestone in our family life, another one of those moments that I will see all because of the kindness of my donor and their family. 

I've already been able to see the scans of the baby and see and feel it kicking, again these are very precious and special moments for me and I value so much that I've been able to enjoy and experience them. Sarah held her 'Baby Shower' at weekend. It seems to be a popular thing to do these days and a good excuse for a get together with friends. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea, games and lots of chatter and fun. It was a real boost amongst the health issues of the last few months. It also had me thinking about being a grandma and about both my own grandmas and what they meant to me. 

I remember as a young child visiting my father's mother on Saturdays - playing in the garden; running along to the nearby train track to watch the steam trains rush past and hoot - something very different from home; watching Doctor Who at tea time whilst hiding behind a cushion. I can remember her coming to stay with us and sharing a room with her as we hadn't enough space to give her her own room - endless chatter and excitement that grandma was sharing my room. Happy memories. 

My mum's mum spent a lot of time with us, as she lived nearby - just around the corner. I was very close to her and spent hours with her while I was growing up. She lived next to my primary school - she would come and wave at us at playtimes. I would go to her house for tea after school. I've memories of us going shopping together every Saturday - she always used to treat me and we'd go for lunch in a cafe near the local market. I used to go to her house for lunch every Sunday until I left home. We had many special moments. 

And my thoughts on being a grandma? It's hard to imagine being a grandma, as it only seems a very short time ago that Sarah and Rose were only babies and growing up. I'm only just getting used to my own children being adults. Suddenly I'm going to be a grandma. As a young child, I used to think my grandmas were old. I think most children probably think grandmas and grandads are old. Now I realise my own grandmas were probably only my age when I was little and weren't that old at all. I don't really feel old. I smile to myself, knowing my own grandchildren will probably think I'm old! 

I'm looking forward to the baby's arrival and helping out Sarah if she needs a hand. It's really is going to be a new and exciting phase in our lives, especially since Rob has retired. We hopefully will have the time to be active grandparents. I'd like my grandchildren to have similar and precious moments that I had with my grandmas, give them the time and patience like both my grandmas gave me and make them feel special. 

We are trying to be organised in time for both Christmas and the baby coming. There's still weeks to go, yet it may be imminent too, as we are counting in weeks now, not months anymore. We just hope for a safe arrival and a healthy baby and mum. 

New Horizons

It's always good to make plans and have things to look forward to and as a family we'd been making preparations to celebrate both Sarah and Rose's graduations this autumn. Yes, somehow, both girls have finished their studies at the same time. Obviously these events were always going to be very important to me - seeing the girls graduate was always going to be special, as I simply believed at some points when I was very sick that it would be something I wouldn't ever get to see. Those milestones become very significant when you fear that you may never reach them. They can give you the motivation, hope and drive to keep on overcoming the odds. 

Sarah and Rose both started their studies during that long period of my illness and fight with Pulmonary Hypertension and during my transpant and recovery. Then over the years following my transplant, I've been able to see them both make their own direction in life, complete the studies they'd undertaken and grow in confidence and embark on new things. Being able to experience this and time with my family is the most wonderful part of having my transplant. 

It feels like their graduation celebrations are a culmination of all the things we've been through together and successfully overcome - like they are celebrations about moving on and moving forward in life. This week, it was Sarah's graduation and although I'm not quite feeling my best at the moment, I was more than determined that we would carry on with the plans we'd made and that I'd go and see Sarah graduate. It felt too important to miss out on; it was one of those things that I always said I'd love to see when I was waiting for my transplant. 

We had a lovely time and a wonderful morning at the ceremony and of course we were very proud parents amongst many other proud families enjoying moments with their loved ones. These moments are so precious. Sarah graduated with the Open University. She had worked full time while she undertook her diploma. Her next step is going to be motherhood, something completely different. For me, that means being a grandma - something I hadn't dared to hope for. We all have new adventures on the horizon, new experiences and new things to learn and do. 

One of the lovely things at the ceremony was that there were people of all different ages celebrating their achievements with their families. There were young people and then people who were in their seventies who were graduating. It was very inspiring and a reminder that we are never too old to learn and embark on new things.

My next priority is to keep well enough to go to Rose's graduation, which is coming up soon. Until then it's plenty of rest, recuperation and hopefully feeling better.