Saturday, May 15, 2010

I am looking for the ideal Christmas gift for my grandfather with end stage lymphoma...?

My grandfather was diagnosed with lymphoma and given 2 months to live in May. Thankfully, he is still with us and doing quite well. He is wheelchair bound and homebound (except doctor appointments) and is very tired (naps throughout the day). His mind is VERY strong. He lives at home with his very well bodied wife and daughter/son-in-law. I am looking for ideas of a Christmas gift I can get him to keep his mind strong and to keep him going. I would appreciate anyone's insights on things that have worked in the past as good gifts for someone in an end stage disease process. I appreciate your thoughts in advance!

I am looking for the ideal Christmas gift for my grandfather with end stage lymphoma...?
when my father in law was dying..he too was house bound...i renewed subscriptions to readers digest magazine until after his death..he loved to read and when we would call him he was telling us off the wall things that most other people would over look...maybe the newspaper in the local area..and most importantly spend time with him if nothing else play checkers..we are a military family so my kids didnt grow up getting to go to grandpas house on sunday but my son will tell you every time we went for a visit they played checkers...and grandpa was the winner and made him think and he taught him how to play....a beautiful memory for us
Reply:The greatest gift you can give him is your time. Spend a few hours a week with him. Play a game of checkers, gin, whatever he enjoys. Talk about his life, your plans, etc. Let him know how much he is loved. If his mind is still alert I recommend crosswords, word searches, or sudoku puzzles. It helps keep the mind working. If he hasn't been an avid puzzle person in the past, I would suggest easy books, as the difficult ones can be too challenging.
Reply:Go see him a lot, it will be the best gift ever for him.
Reply:The best gift I can think of for you to give your grandfather is this: buy a scrap book, notecards and a camera...Then go to all family members and ask them to write something memorable about your grandfather like something funny he did or something that he did to make them feel special or whatever they put down...take a picture of them and put the two together in the album. Then at Christmas he can open it and read all the ways he touched each person's life and he can look at the picture while they are away and that gives a person a sense of worth while they were on this earth and also spend alot of time with him and ask him questions about his life and maybe write it down or get a tape recorder and tape your conversation and you will always have his voice...I wish so much I could go back in time before my grandfather died.He was an honorable man...In our town where I live, he had the biggest funeral ever because he helped alot of poor people , he opened his home to travelers, gave many meals when they were without work or food, started the first league of united latin american citizens, always volunteering at church,,,I could go on and on...I wish I had taped his voice or had a video camera so he could speak and tell us what he expected of us...our youth are being lost to crime, violence,,child protective services if you beat their you know what for speaking back to you although my son is very respectful and hard working...May God Bless you all and have a Merry Christmas,remember that Jesus is the reason for the season...and your grandfather will soon join the Lord and be happy and at peace...


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