My Nana

Nana and I on Prom night, 2011

Last year I called my nana from school and she had asked me if I had a boyfriend. I told her no, and she responded, “Well hurry up. You’re not getting any younger.”



That’s who she was. A completely unabashed, unashamed individual. My nana was always one to speak her mind. She would tell you her opinion without sugarcoating it - regardless of whether or not it should be sugarcoated. Everyone else on the road was a stupid jerk. She threatened to knock out any one of our boyfriends if he treated us badly. And her grandchildren were the smartest, funniest, cutest people to her. Everything was black and white to her. She stood firm in everything she believed in, whether it be morals or the way to pronounce a word. And that is one of the millions of reasons that I loved her, and will continue to love her for the rest of my life.

My favorite and best cuddler. At first, I thought I was crying. Zoom in, and it's clear I was laughing.

One of the biggest joys in her life was being a mother, as well as a grandmother. I can’t tell you how many times she asked me if I needed any money, or if I wanted her to cook me breakfast, or if she could take me shopping. My nana was an amazing cake decorator - we all tried to learn her skills but none of us ever caught on. She loved taking care of people. When my sister was playing baseball, she was a staple down at Nipper Maher park - wearing her baseball hat to show her support. The people down there grew to love her as much as wed did. Even up until her final days, she was constantly worried about everyone else - trying to get out of bed to play cards with someone or to cook someone a meal.



Nana and I at her old house at GardenCrest.

The dementia was hard on the family. It really is a test of patience, and I know I wasn’t too patient with her sometimes. But, she’d ask the same question forty times with the same enthusiasm every single time. I’m a writer, and I know I’ve explained what I write about to her so many times - and I know she never understood it once. But she kept asking, because she loved me and she wanted to know what I loved. She loved being around her family. I loved being around her.



She fought hard until the very last day. So many times I thought she was down for the count, just to have her bounce back, normal as ever. Everything was a hard fought battle for her, and time after time again, she’d come out victorious. To quote Stuart Scott, “You beat cancer by HOW you live, WHY you live and the manner in which you live.” I think it’s safe to say that my nana beat cancer with flying colors.



Nana and I at DisneyWorld. She loved Winnie the Pooh. I loved her.

I’ll miss the phone calls just to chat and tell me she loves me. I’ll miss her playing with my hair and scratching my back. I’ll miss her telling me to look at my dogs in excitement, even though they were probably doing something I’ve seen them do a million times. I’ll miss every single thing about my grandmother, and it’ll be a void that I’ll have a hard time filling. But I love you, nana, and I’ll see you again someday. Eat all the Hershey bars you want. I love you so much.