I was only nine when my grandmother, who I had known since birth was diagnosed with cancer. She had lived down the road from me so I would visit nearly every day. I would either ride my bike down to her house or walk, or even take time to visit her with my dad and brothers. She was the nicest grandmother anyone could ask for always calling me Tootsie and letting me sit on her lap. Though she wasn’t exactly like the “traditional” grandmother as everyone talks about always giving their grandchildren cookies and milk, she was the best grandmother I could ever ask for. We always called her Granny because she didn’t like the name Grandmother; I think it made her seem old. Even my dad would call her Granny but sometimes he would tease her and call her Grandmother.

There are many, many memories I have with her, some dating back to when I could barely walk. Sometimes my mom, dad, my two brothers, Granny and I would take off for a weekend going different places, sometimes ending up in the middle of nowhere, or at least it seemed like it just too go out and do something. Over all I think our favorite place to go was up north to New Meadows to a hot springs named Zims, because we went there the most. At Zims my two brothers and I would manly go swimming in the larger, cooler pool while the adults were in the smaller, shallower hot water. Sometimes wanting to be over with Granny, I would wade through the torturing, burning hot water and sit with her on the concrete edge of the pool wile she enjoyed the hot water. After a while I would force myself in to the water, grabbing a ball to play catch with and soon after I’d get used to the temperature.

As I grew older, I also grew closer towards my grandmother. I knew her house like the back of my hand, even her cement basement. I even got to know her loving dog named Jackie. Jackie would always greet us at the door with kisses, just like Granny and she sometimes would nonstop bark at nothing or so it seemed. Soon, Granny needed a wheelchair, instead of just her cane so my dad brought home a blue and black electric wheel chair for her. I remember him teasing Granny by saying something like, “Now you can use your new, high powered electric chair to get the mail yourself, Granny.”

I was nine when Granny was diagnosed with liver cancer. At first I didn’t really know what was going on, but soon after being diagnosed she was put into the Weiser Memorial Hospital. Once she was put into the hospital I was more aware of what was going on. My dad would take me in with my two brother at least once a week, most of the time 2 or 3 times a week to visit her. At the hospital we would visit with Granny for a while sometimes taking her in flowers or different little gifts. Sometimes Granny wouldn’t feel very well when we visited her and when she did, I felt helpless because there was nothing I could do to make her feel better. Other times she would feel really well and ask my dad to take her out dancing with him.

For months Granny was in the hospital, at the end of 2009 Granny began to go down hill even more, she didn’t even think she would make it past Christmas. Soon Christmas came and we went to spend time with her and give her a Christmas present. Right after Christmas my grandmother was just about positive that she wouldn’t make it to New Years, so about a week before New Years she had us each sit in her lap and she wished us a Happy New Year and told us some other things, I don't even remeber. It was New Years Eve and still we all went to visit Granny in the hospital. We wished her a happy new year and we had some errands to run so we left shortly after. On New Years Day of 2010 Granny was sent to my Aunt’s so my aunt could take care of her. My aunt called my dad because she was sure that it was going to be Granny’s last so we began to get dressed to go and see her for the last time. At 6:00 pm on New Years Day Granny passed away, right before we, my dad, my two brothers and I got to my aunt’s house. When we finally there Granny had already passed on, but she was still warm and I touched her arm for the last time, beginning to cry.