Grandma's Girl

I grew up in a small town with a close-knit family. My parents got divorced when I was young, so my grandparents were especially important role models in my life. I had a special connection with my grandmother. We shared a love of painting, the field of medicine, and later on cooking. She was a nurse during WWII, and through her many stories, it instilled in me a passion to obtain a career in which I could help people in the way she had. So, I went to college to pursue my dream of becoming a physician's assistant. I graduated with a medical science degree and then came back to my town to gain volunteer experience at a free clinic. I would be applying to PA school (a very competitive occupation) during the fall of that year. 

I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering, and I continued to pray that this career path was the direction that God wanted me. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I found out my grandmother had terminal breast cancer. She started to get pretty weak, but was determined to live in the comfort of her own home. I was plagued with a hard decision - do I continue to work towards the goal of pursuing my dream, or did I put that on hold and stay and take care of her? I prayed fervently, and became convicted to take care of my terminally ill grandmother - the one who cared for me whenever I was ill as a child. I knew in my heart where God wanted me, but I selfishly knew that I still wanted to become a PA. If I got accepted to a program this year, and if I turned it down, I knew I may not have another chance. 

I had to believe that God had a plan for this situation. I continued to care for my grandmother, and eventually moved in with her when it was apparent she couldn't perform her basic needs. She continued to tell me how blessed she was that I was there with her. In those instances, I knew I was right where I was supposed to be. I continued to apply to PA schools, and one after the other, I found out I was rejected. I was very disappointed, but at the same time, I continued to believe that God was closing those doors because of my grandmother's circumstances. 

My grandmother continued to get weaker, so we made the decision to call hospice. With the help of hospice and my care, she was able to stay in her own home up until her last living day at the hospice house. It was very hard to lose her, but I also had a sense of peace that I was able to be with her during her last days. 

I still had one school to hear from - Barry University in Miami. I had doubts that I wouldn't get accepted and started to prepare myself to reapply the next year. It was exactly two weeks after my grandmother passed away that I got my acceptance letter from Barry. I felt such a presence of God when I opened the letter and read the news. I believe this was a "God wink". He knew in my heart that this was such a dilemma for me and I needed to just trust him and believe he had a perfect plan. During this time in my life, God gave me two tremendous gifts - the ability to care for a very special person, and the fulfillment of the career path for which I had such a passion. 

by Jenny Call