Now that midterms are over, we can let out that breath that we have all been holding. However, ever since I let out that breath, I’ve felt like I have been living a nightmare, one that I’m struggling to wake up from.

On October 24th I received a call from my mom with the worst possible news that anyone from my mom’s side of the family could imagine. My great-grandmother had a massive stroke that damaged her heart and her frontal lobe.

The next day, the hospital in Arkansas called for family to say their goodbyes. When my mom told me this, I broke down into tears. I literally was ugly crying while I finished my course work so I could get to Arkansas.

While I was driving down, my mom called and put me on speaker with my great-grandmother in case she died before I could get there. I let her know that it was okay if she wanted to go and be with my great-grandfather, who died from lung cancer when I was five. I got to tell her that I loved her and asked her to hang on until I got there.

And she is still hanging on, as of this morning. We do not know how much longer she has. It could be a couple days, a week, even a month. For now, the hospital is keeping her comfortable in a swing bed.

~Rhiannon

(Bio: My name is Rhiannon Casey, a transfer student from Arkansas State University. I am currently a Senior Marketing Major with an emphasis in Advertising and Promotions.)