“Papo has passed”

Those words had me heartbroken. I thought he could do it. He couldn’t. He’s gone so far in his journey to beat it. It was 2018, and life was good. I was playing baseball, school was over and summer was good. Until my grandpa got diagnosed with cancer. We were shocked, we started visiting him in the hospital anytime we could. I remember vividly in the hospital holding my mom's hand as they were praying for him. I can still smell the stiff hospital air as it is something I’ll never forget. Almost every day we would visit him and care for him. At the time, I had just turned 11 going into 5th grade, my brother was 7 going into 2nd grade. So we didn’t know exactly what was going on.

 Then he got sent to a hospital in Houston. The best cancer hospital in the world. We had high hopes. We would FaceTime him every chance we got. He loved Houston, he would go to Astros games, Rockets games. He loved to explore the city. He would come back to Cincinnati every so often and we would visit him. 

I knew I had to take advantage of these moments. My mom's sisters would always hang out during these tough times despite how far away they lived. We would bring him food and other goods because hospital food is disgusting. My mom would spend countless hours with him in the hospital. She would sleep there whenever she could. Every chance we got we would visit him. We spent every minute we could with him. Every day I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I still remember the times he’d take us to TopGolf, Rootbeer stand, skyline, and countless other things. He loved to eat at the Silver Spring House. Those moments with him I should’ve cherished more. I wish I had taken in those moments. When he was in the hospital my cousins from Nashville and Atlanta came up to Cincinnati. It was a long couple of weeks, I missed a vacation, I didn’t spend time with friends, and I couldn’t get my mind off of my Grandpa. My cousins and I would hang out and go bowling and other fun activities but it wasn’t the same. We knew that my Grandpa was struggling, and we didn’t know if he was going to make it. I was starting to ask myself if I cherished the moments I had with him.

Until he passed. It was the night of July 23rd, 2018. It was a warm foggy night. I was coming home from dinner with my cousins and we could sense the distraught in the air. My uncle and my dad addressed the news to us. We were shocked, we grieved for hours. I could see the grim, sad faces of my mom. All night we looked at pictures and videos of him. He was so kind, friendly, and active. He would love to golf and bike. He was a big Indiana Hoosiers fan, he’s the reason I’m a big Indiana fan. I learned that I should've appreciated the moments with him more. I should’ve taken it in when I was with him. Then, We started a family tradition, we’d go to our cousin's lake house every year at this exact time for a week. We would surf, and tube all week. Also, We would let off bright lanterns on the night of his passing on the lake, the foggy, gloomy lake would be lit up with the dazzling lanterns. This moment changed my family’s life as it was the first grandparent I’ve lost. I learned that you can’t take things for granted. You have to cherish every moment you have. You never know when something tragic is going to happen. I missed so many chances and moments I could've had with him. We would go to Skyline and get ice cream all the time. He would love to take us to Kings Island to go on the roller coasters. We would go to Reds and bengals games, Indiana Hoosiers games, he loved to spend time with us. I used to always love sleeping over at his house, playing darts and the guitar. We’d make homemade candy and play checkers. When my cousins were in town we would have the best sleepovers, we would eat ice cream and candy and stay up late with him. Having him was the best. I wish I would’ve appreciated him more. Now we grieve and honor his service in the Army every day. I don’t go a day without thinking about him. 

“Rest well Papo”