4/15/06 - Family Emergency

Last week was a fast-paced scramble of loss and grief. My Grandfather, Eva's Great-Grandfather, passed away suddenly, and the whole family has been in shock. He had a stroke on Wednesday and was admitted to the hospital, but they wouldn't let me in to see him with the baby. Meanwhile my grandmother had to go in for her chemo appointment for her stage 4 lung cancer. The hospital told my aunt that we needed to find a skilled nursing facility to take Grandpa on Saturday, so I drove up to Laguna Hills on Friday to look for one, bringing Eva with me.

My Mom came down from Oregon to help, and we found a beautiful place just down the street from their neighborhood, called Villa Valencia. They offered the promise of placement in their Assisted Living wing if he improved enough to leave their Skilled Nursing. Grandma seemed to like the place when we took her to see it. Of course Eva and her glasses attracted the attention of every resident and staff person we met. She didn’t seem to mind the attention, kicking back in her stroller with her feet propped up on the tray like it was her own private recliner.