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Eight hours in the hospital today, death watch tomorrow.
Have about 20 miles in so far tonight.
Tomorrow will be longer.
Why do folk think cycling is about fitness?
Selfish sorry for me post.
No worries. It's not exactly an easy time is it. Look after yourself.
That's bad news, sorry for you Basil. Hope it's fairly quick and painless and everone has their chance to say goodbye.
my cycling is and was never about fitness.
look after yourself mate. life goes on.
Thoughts are with you mate.
Stay safe, hold his hand, talk to him about the good times & tell him how much you love him.
EXACTLY what rusty said up there ^
Take care, Basil. Be there for your family later, as well as your grandad now. Ride steady.
Grandparents are awesome and I wish I'd have had mine longer so I could have appreciated them more.
Whatever you do, make sure you tell him how much you love him.... even though he'll know that already.
Been there a few times with family, not a nice place to be, dont suppress the tears, it helps,
I only ever knew my grandma (mum's side) and even then, that was only for the first 2 yrs of my life :(. Wish she and the others had remained around long enough for me to appreciate their values and what they went through. In fact, one of my few regrets is that I chose not to absorb my family's first hand history when I had the chance to ... Too late now 🙁
Take it easy fella and be there for gramps.
Basil I feel for you.
A bit over 7 years since my grandad passed away in what sounds like a fairly similar situation. I got a call at 2 am to get 170 miles to his bedside and not to be too slow getting out the door. In the end I did 2 days on and off talking to him, holding his hand and supporting my grandma. I hope it helped him know how loved he was right to the end.
My best wishes to you and your family at this difficult time.
And if cycling was about fitness I wouldn't be the shape I am.
There's not a day goes by i don't think about my grandad. He was in hospital with blood poisoning and I saw him take his last breath. We were waiting for it coming but there with him. I miss him to this day. Just being there i think meant a lot for him, and a lot for us. He was well loved and is dearly missed- but he had us with him at the end and i think he knew it. He knew we were ok, and he knew it was his time.
I'm now welling up.
Cycling's always there as a release if you need it. Lots of folk on here are here when you do too.
We come into this world as equals and we leave it as equals. Look after yourself. Fitness is just a minor byproduct of cycling. Headspace is the biggest benefit.
I feel your sorrow.
It was a year ago today when I sat holding my Mum's hand in her last hours and telling her how much I loved her and how much I appreciated her sacrifices in bringing me up, though I'm not sure she could hear me.
As other posters have said say your goodbyes, hold his hand, remember the happy times you had together, and stay strong for other members of your family.
Take care of yourself!
Two of my grandparents have departed this year. Riding my bike certainly has its benefits.
I got a call at work fifteen years ago to tell me to get back down to the Midlands as my Dad was in a bad way. We were extremely privileged to be with him for what turned out to be 24 hours from my arrival at the hospital to a silent monitor. That bedside vigil with my Dad who was fully conscious but beyond treatment was the most moving yet important phase of my life. We had the opportunity to tell him that we loved him, and my mother's devotion was a revelation.
This week I have had a similar conversation with Mum, just after one of her community nurses asked her if she was happy to spend her last days at home, rather than at hospital. At 89 she accepts with amazing calmness the fact that she is unlikely to see much more than a few weeks, but the privilege, again, for me is that I will be able to spend time with her, reassuring her that between me and my sister we will be looking after my brother (incapable of independent living) but more to the point listening to the first hand history she is so keen to tell us.
We must accept death as a natural part of the order of things. To accept it with serenity and yet do our own grieving on our own terms is the balance few of us are privileged to experience. I don't share my mother's profound faith, but I can only admire the fact that she is able to come to terms with what she believes to be a journey. In those terms I suppose I have a platform ticket, and will be able to watch the train pull away after a proper hug and a kiss goodbye. You get that chance too with your grandad. Make the most of it.