There are moments in life that you will always remember. I remember the weekend of my 19th birthday like it was yesterday. I remember heading down to see my Grandma and Grandpa Weber. Grandpa Wayne had been diagnosed with lung cancer the August before. He had had radiation treatments in an effort to shrink the cancer. He had been on oxygen since that August. (August of 2000.) When we arrive on June 24th, 2001, to see them. My Uncle Jim was carrying him from the bathroom back to the living room. It was a sight I will never forget. My big bad Grandpa was being carried to the living room by his son. I had seen him 2 weeks prior and he wasn't that week. I knew at that moment that he was going to be meeting Jesus very soon.
Grandpa was admitted to the local hospital the next day. We went back to our regular lives because John, Dad, and I all had jobs. That Thursday, June 28, Dad received a call saying that Grandpa was getting worse and he would most likely slip into a coma in the next day. If we ever wanted to talk to Grandpa again, we had to get to the hospital. Horrible, horrible news.
We lived at the hospital from Thursday until Sunday. The small town hospital had given us their biggest patient room (it could actually house 4 patients comfortably. All of us Webers moved in. We stayed by Grandpa's side. I slept at the hospital Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. He stopped responding to us on that Friday morning. It was a waiting game as to when he would go be with God. Saturday night I slept on his hand. It was very cold as his body had started shutting down but I wanted to be close to him if/when something might happen.
On Sunday, Grandpa's blood pressure continued to drop. Slowly but surely he was drifting away from us. It came to the point (it was around 8 pm) that I was going to need to head back home. I had to work at 7 am at the hospital the next morning. Mom and Dad told me it was time for me to go. I never imagined walking out of the room knowing I would never see him alive again. That was one of those moments in life that I wish to never relive. I had been by his side since Thursday night. I left for 20-30 minutes each day. I couldn't imagine living in a world that my Grandpa wasn't in.
Grandpa passed away surrounded by most of his family. I wasn't even on the edge of town when he took his last breath. Grandma Ann was sitting right next to his bed as the love of her life when to wait for her.
On my morning run on July 1st, 2013, I couldn't have felt more connected to Grandpa and God than I did. It was just us on the road surrounded by corn and the amazing Midwest.
Rest In Peace, Grandpa Wayne. You are missed each and every day.
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