My Most Frightening Day free essay sample

My Most Frightening Day Most people don’t have any idea when their most frightening day will be, it could have been when they were young or maybe it has not quite happened yet. I did not have the luxury of surprise although I also didn’t exactly have a day marked on my calendar. I knew my most frightening day would come when a doctor called my house and informed my family that my great grandpa Papahualo had two weeks to live, and my dad informed me that we were going to fly out there to be with him.He was like a father to my dad and he traveled with us most everywhere we went and now, we were going to be with him before his greatest journey yet. I had been planning to go to New York during winter break; I was hoping to spend time with Papahualo as I went around sight-seeing and getting to know the city. This was not the trip I had planned at all. It wasn’t during winter break, it was two weeks before classes would begin for me, and this was not how I wanted to see him.The last time I had seen Papahualo was one year before when he was strong as a horse and could still pick me up when he gave an extra strong hug. We bought the tickets two days in advance and everything happened so fast that it almost seemed like a dream. Papahualo was one of the healthiest, strongest people I knew. He was not the frail old man the doctor described over phone with his organs slowly shutting down. On the plane everything felt normal, like any other trip, I am used to traveling, but never like this.Even though the flight was short it felt like a nerve racking eternity of uncertainty, I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. I was sure I would break down sometime on the plane, if not then maybe once we got there and everything stopped feeling like a dream and became real but that moment never came. We went almost immediately to the hospital and although I ran scenario after scenario in my mind of what it would be like, I had no idea what to expect.My Papahualo’s lungs were filled with water and due to his organs shutting down, especially the kidneys and liver he didn’t look pale but instead a slight yellow color took over. As of the day before he had stopped being able to talk, he was so weak and fragile he barely resembled the man I knew wrinkle by wrinkle in my memories. He was so sedated for the pain that he was only capable of sleeping, I was told he had been slightly delusional and I wasn’t sure if he would even know who I was. The nurses and doctors had been having issues with him wanting to get up and leave.They just could not understand that nothing ever stopped him from being independent and able to live just like them only weeks before. He had raised or taken care of so many children, grand children, nephews, nieces and even great grandchildren but had never had to be taken care of to this extent. I spent the first night at his bedside on a reclining chair, it was not the most comfortable sleeping arrangement but it was better than the chair my aunt kindly offered to sleep in. The first time he opened his eyes I filled with excitement and fear all at the same time. I leaned in and asked if he knew who I was, he whispered â€Å"of course† and squeezed my hand as if he would never let go. That’s what I wanted deep down, I never wanted to say goodbye I had never even so much as given a thought to it. How do you say goodbye to someone who has always been there and watched you grow? How do you let go of someone who has meant so much to you for so long that a future without them seems impossible? I was holding my breath waiting for him to take his last. It is the scariest thing I have ever had to do.The second night I spent the same, just holding his hand and staying awake until around six in the morning when my aunt or uncle would wake up and take over my shift, the nurses were not the only ones up around the clock. By the third night my family may as well have locked me up in my aunts’ house, they insisted I need to take care of myself too and finally go home, eat a good meal and get some real rest. The fourth night was my last night in New York. My great grandpa had finally been transported to a hospice and we knew it was now only a matter of time.It was decided that my two aunts and uncle would stay overnight with him but I begged and was allowed to stay instead of my uncle. He was surrounded by family from the beginning but now even more than ever with people from the area were even coming to visit trying to give their last goodbyes and sharing memories with the rest of us. He was so respected, admired, and loved; no one ever had anything bad to say of him and this was not just because of the circumstances. As it got later the family proceeded to clear out, leaving me with my aunts.I was reading my book and positioned myself as usual by his bedside until the familiar sound of his peaceful breathing began to change and slow down. Was this the moment everyone has been dreading? I put my book down, got out of my chair and walked closer. I wasn’t alone because my aunts immediately were asking him if he was okay and comfortable enough and the mandatory things they’d say when he opened his eyes or got their attention. As he was breathing slower and slower my heart raced faster and faster, I squeezed his hand and I felt him still holding on.I looked into his eyes and tried to find a conscious mind behind the stare but there was none. My aunt called her sister and explained their dad wasn’t breathing the same â€Å"he’s breathing too slowly, he’s taking so long to breathe †¦he’s not breathing anymore†. I closed his eyes for him, which I felt was an honor because only one person could ever put you at your final peace like that. I didn’t say anything because there was nothing left to say, I had been talking to him in the few moments we had alone and he knew I loved him very much. Words were not needed at the moment just a few silent tears. Then came the duty of delivering some phone calls out to family, and I had to maintain calm. I cannot describe all the emotions I went through in those four days; twenty six letters in different combinations could not possibly express the love, pain, exhaustion and fear that passed through me. I have never seen someone losing their life slowly before my eyes, but it’s a feeling I will never forget and one that scared me beyond what I can explain. I don’t wish it on anyone but in a way I also do feel special to have truly been there until the very end. Rest in peace Marino Eduardo Pacheco Alegre, better known as my Papahualo.