COVID-19 and Grandpa-Great Walker

Remember this post in June 2019?

This is a post about how cool my dad is. #familyhistory This past week he, a couple of his siblings, and his dad, went on a road trip from Lyman, Wyomong to Gardner, Montana and then through Yellowstone - all on Rangers! (Small ATV type vehicles.) My dad kept us updated through Marco Polo (all these pictures are just screenshots of his adventures). I loved watching them drive through the mountains of Wyoming and Montana and hearing my dads commentary on their trip (including being stuck in a 45 minutes traffic jam due to some Yellowstone buffalo). My Grandpa Walker (Grandpa-Great to my kids) always says "Hi kids, Wish you were here." In his gruff cowboy voice whenever my dad Marco Polos us while with him. Such a neat adventure and I wanted to record it.

 

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What I didn't realize then was that the road trip they went on was actually a piece of a greater goal, to drive their Rangers all the way from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. They did it in several different pieces, but in the end all those smaller drive-trips connected into one big line from border to border. On October 23, 2021 they finished their trail! This was such a cool experience for my dad to be able to do with his siblings and especially with his dad. Grandpa Great and my Dad were partners in the traveling and I can only imagine the experiences they had while they got to spend so much time together. 

I mention this because only a couple of weeks later,  in mid-November, my Grandpa was infected with Covid-19 and got really sick. (I should note: I'm writing this weeks and weeks after the entire ordeal and so my post will be much different than it would have been if I was writing as it was happening. So many emotions and so much up-and-down.) 

My dad went to stay with him in Wyoming to help get him through the sickness. (My Grandpa was not vaccinated but my dad is and we all hoped that his vaccination would keep him safe). He stayed with him for about a week but my grandpa's health was deteriorating rapidly. 

They made the decision to take him in to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lungs and was emergency-life-transported to the ICU. They had to call three different hospitals before they found one that would accept him because all of the hospital ICU beds are full. He was admitted and soon after was put on a ventilator. The doctors weren't very hopeful but were determined to do everything they could to help. However, my grandpa HATED the ventilator. He has never wanted to be on life support and the experience was horrible for everyone. He kept writing messages expressing his desire to be taken home so that he could pass away in peace. My dad set up a voice call with all of my siblings to explain what was happening and you could tell that he was just heartbroken.  

It was especially hard because my Uncle Marti was also infected with Covid and he was basically incapacitated at home while all of this was happening. He was taken to the ER every time but with their support he was always able to come home without having to be admitted to the hospital. I originally wasn't going to go to the hospital because I really don't want to risk getting Covid or passing it to my children (there are more and more cases of kids getting Covid and getting really sick). However, I decided to go to the hospital to support my siblings who were having a really hard time and ended up going up into Grandpa's room to hold his hand and tell him I loved him after speaking with medical professionals who stated that because he was intubated, there was 0% Covid transmission because all his breathing was going through the machine. I was able to snap these photos in the few minutes I was there, as soon as I left they made the choice to remove him from the ventilator.

I have never seen anyone intubated and on a ventilator before. It was horrible. Probably the most awful medical intervention I have ever seen. I can see why my grandpa hated it so much. His eyes conveyed his feelings and it was as bad as a torture device. Now, I know that ventilators do MUCH good and that they have saved countless people - but in this instance, it was horrible and I fully agreed with the decision to remove him from the ventilator even though it meant allowing my Grandfather to pass away. The doctors warned that it would be only minutes to hours before he died, although there was the possibility for a few days. However, when he woke up the next morning he asked for breakfast and some nasal oxygen.

 Miraculously, he kept improving enough to be taken home on hospice (so he could pass away at home). He came home with round-the-clock care, and the doctors warned that he might seem to start to get better but the outcome would certainly be the same and he would pass away soon, but he (slowly) steadily kept improving. First he was able to eat a whole can of sardines (!), then able to get out of bed and walk for a minute, then while using a walker could walk around, (my dad even sent a video of him racing his walker through the family room at a run). His oxygen was holding steady so they started taking him out for some drives. 

My dad sent this pictures with this caption: "Here is a pic of dad today after a ride at the summer range. It's too good not to share. The photo hides the O2 tank and the walker he's using. But he just looked so cool in his riding coat and hat. I couldn't pass it up. Love you all." 

We were so sad that Granpa was sick, but one of the most heartbreaking things about the whole thing was that my dad is retiring this year to be able to spend more time with him on the ranch. It was so sad to think that opportunity would be taken away and we are so glad that we have more time with him. 

My Grandpa's 86th birthday was on December 23rd. He's steadily improving and living on his own again now. He is driving his truck around the ranch and seems to be healing from the after-effects of Covid. Although we don't know how much longer we will have him here with us, we are grateful for the extra time we have with him. We had a zoom-birthday party for Grandpa and it was just so surreal and so happy to be there together. The last time I had seen my cousins was when we were all at the hospital saying goodbye to our beloved grandfather. Grandpa had a great birthday and said that he was looking forward to his birthday next year. 

My dad sent our family group a Marco Polo this morning while I was writing this post. It showed him and my grandpa out on the ranch doing chores. My grandpa was driving the truck and he leaned out the window and called his cows "Come, Boss!" and just like the sheep that follow the shepherds voice, they turned and came right toward him. He said the the camera "How are you doing kids?" My dad said "They are doing good, they want to know how you are doing." His response?  "I'm doing alright. For a grumpy old man, I'm doing real-good." 

(Screenshots from this morning, picture from last year at his 85th Birthday.)