I
was told that the stroke left her partially paralyzed which is common for
stroke victims but she was going through physical therapy to help. I was trying
to get updates regularly on her condition through my mother and my sister.
Everything was going well from what I was told and that she was recovering.
When
the news came that she had taken a turn for the worse, I was stocked. I was
told she was back in the hospital and not doing well at all. My family went to
visit her including my sister and my mother, her former daughter-in-law. My
sister and my grandmother had some tension between them for years and it was
good that my sister went to see her. Lisa, my sister, told me in an email that
she made peace with grandma and treated her visit as a last goodbye.
Things
were not looking good for my grandmother. The doctors had given her a 30 percent
survival rate. I wanted to come home to see her but if I left the country
before I completed my residency permit and received my full one year work visa,
I would have to restart the process back in the US. My temporary visa was only
for thirty days with a once only entry.
I
talked it over with my mother and we both agreed that it would be best for me
to stay in China. I had seen my grandmother before I left and spent some time
with her. She was healthy then and we had a great day together just talking
about my new adventure and past stories. Of course being my grandmother and the
religious woman she was, I did get the you should be going to church speech.
Well
it was the day I was getting my passport back with my full visa and the day
when I needed to make the final choice of whether or not I was going home. That
same day my grandmother passed away at the age of 81 only days after her
birthday. That was a tough night for me. I decided to not go home for the
funeral and that my family would understand I couldn't be there.
