Happy Birthday Grandma!

Helen A. McNulty
March 4, 1924-April 13, 2006

By far, the most difficult thing I've had to deal with in my adult life was my Grandma Helen passing away last year. Even now I have the coat, blouse and skirt she was wearing on the day she went to the hospital hanging in the closet. Occasionally, I reach in and smell it because it still smells like her. We were always close with Grandma. I lived with her when I was in Kindergarten and spent the majority of summers during my childhood split between her house in Pennsylvania and my dad's house. My grandmas was about the most stubborn Ukrainian lady you'll ever meet. I think it was her strong will that helped her survive another year and a half after her massive heart attack and triple bypass. Or maybe it was just God's will. God granted us another year to be close to her after she moved here to Bakersfield so we could take care of her. Christy and Jed (bless their souls) allowed Grandma to move in with them after a whirlwind of "care" facilities proved that they really didn't care much for their patients. She struggled with her Congestive Heart Failure, but wasn't about to let it change her. She ate salami, pierogies (with a ton of butter and onions), and pickles despite doctors orders (we even found a jar hidden away in her room after she passed away). She craved independence so she figured out public transportation for the disabled and had them pick her up 3 times a week to go to Bingo for countless hours. She loved little Mikie (what she called Brogan) more than anything and he loved her too. She even loved Suzie (Aubrey) even though they never met. She hated these "new" names that people called their babies so she created her own names. Usually when my grandma knew she was getting sick she would have us take her to the hospital, but make sure the doctor knew she needed to make it to Bingo the next day so she DIDN'T want to be admitted. At the end, God was calling her and she wanted the doctors to admit her. She knew it was time. In the ICU she told us she saw her mom and would stare toward the roof like she was watching the angels. Although our hearts were breaking as we watched her drift from this earth, today we celebrate her birthday and know that she's having a party in heaven with God. I've sure she's playing Bingo :)
Happy Birthday Grandma!

Love,
Barbie, Christy, Justin, Jed, Mikie and Suzie