All my cousins call my grandmother Dadi. She’s had a pretty tough month with all the illnesses, and to top it all off, she had a pretty scary fall that’s forced her into the hospital with a bit of rehab for the time being.

Over the past few weeks, my family has been coordinating shifts for hospital visits, errands, and more for Dadi, while I watched all the notifications helplessly. I live away from my family and just got into town for the holidays.

I went to the rehab center first thing in the morning today to visit her. It’s Christmas Eve, but the rehab center is operating like its just another day. The nurses, therapists, and everyone at the rehab center were in full gear for each of the patients at the rehab center and sacrificing their Christmas eve for them. I was a little skeptical going into the facility as it was on the older side but was quite impressed with the people that worked there and how much they cared about the elderly.

Fortunately, my Dadi was in great hands. As I walked into the room, my cousin and my uncle were there feeding her breakfast. She didn’t sleep well at night. I see the exhaustion on my uncle and cousin’s face too; It’s been a tough few weeks. I feel guilty I wasn’t here to help the rest of the family during this time of need. I’m glad that I was able to spend the day with her today and the next few days.

I still remember her younger days when she had so much energy. She played basketball with the kids, cooked up a mean mac and cheese when the kids didn’t want any Indian food and did so much more.

It’s been tough to see her bed-ridden these days, knowing how much energy she uses to put towards taking care of her grandkids before.

At the same time, I saw how lucky she was. She had a family member with her at all times, whether it was one of my aunts and uncles, to all the cousins. It’s because of her that we have this fantastic family, and it’s a true joy to see everyone give her the love she deserves.

I hope that when I’m as old as her that I’m around my loved ones like her.

Love you so much Dadi and wishing you a speedy recovery!