Love You to the Moon and Back

A Real Life Story by Glenn Hansen

Dedicated to Sweet Judith, wherever you are in God’s universe.

CHAPTER 6

On Friday morning, my friend and I went to the hospital to pack up Judy’s belongings. There were assorted clothing, gifts from various people including, of course, her family, and other odds and ends. Oh, and of course, we packed up the cribbage game. One other item that was of real importance to Judy was her Irish bodhran, a type of drum that could possibly predate Christianity in its original form, and certainly had evolved to some prominence by the nineteenth century. The bodrhan seems to have originated in southwest Ireland, although there are possible Scottish roots as well. You can play the drum with your hand or with a drumstick called the cipin or tipper. It’s a popular instrument in folk music.

At one point we did a performance together at the apartment building where we lived, Judy on her bodrhan and me playing guitar and singing, before a live audience. It was a treasured moment for both of us, although, I had my doubts about ever doing another performance together. Time would tell.   

We packed up her belongings with precision and expedience. It was not yet determined what time exactly the transfer to the new healthcare facility was going to happen. We collectively decided my friend and I would leave and Judy would call me when the transfer was going to take place and that we would meet her at Riverview. While we were packing up, it was quite evident that Judy’s health was rapidly degrading right before our eyes. For now, there was nothing more my friend and I could do except let Judy rest. We would see here next at the new facility. And with that, we left.

It was, for me, an early morning. I liked to arise around “nine o’clockish,” 9:30 in Newfoundland. In case you’re wondering, the Newfoundland reference is a gently humourous reference to Newfoundland’s special time zone on the east coast of Canada which is a half hour out of sync with the rest of the Canadian time zones. What you should know about Newfoundland and Labrador is that they are Canadian geographical and cultural treasures. We went for coffee and a bite. And then we waited for the call.

The call from Judy came at around 2:00 p.m. She was already at Riverview. There was no opportunity to call us before then. Carol and I were on the road in a flash to go over there. I dropped Carol off at the front door of Riverview and parked on the aforementioned side street and then briskly walked to the entrance to meet back up with Carol. From there we quickly located where Judy was and anxiously made our way up to her room. When we saw her, she was looking very depleted and grim. We were then kindly asked if we could leave the room for a few minutes so the staff could get her settled in her room and do an assessment of her condition first hand. We, of course, obliged. What I noticed about the staff was their warmth and graciousness in making their request for us to leave the room. It was almost apologetically and with compassion. They said it would not take too long.

We went to the ward’s multi-functional common room and waited. When Judy was first admitted to the previous hospital, to my surprise, she listed me as a principal contact. While sitting in the common room, a front desk ward staff member approached me to confirm who I was as she had again listed me as one of the principal contacts, which I confirmed. This struck a nerve in me and a few tears welled up in my eyes. Who was I to be one of the principal contacts anyway? We only met at the end of this past summer. It demonstrated to me though how much our relationship had expanded, the trust we now had in one another. It also registered on a profound level now how serious and dire her health situation had become.   

After a short while, we were able to go in and see Judy. She was very tired, and we talked briefly. Then we just let her fall asleep and watched over her with great, but still calm concern. After a short while, we departed and headed home. I was very grateful I had Carol with me that day to lend her invaluable support. It had been a tough day for me on many levels.