Michelle

I'm 28 and currently living with my grandparents. I have a child on the way but I spend most of my time at home with my grandmother. I am very family oriented as you might have guessed. I have a mother but she gave birth to me at a young age and she wasn't ready yet for a child. I spent almost all of my years with my grandma. We are two peas in a pod.

My grandmother came down with kidney disease all of the sudden about 2 years ago. M grandmother's kidneys are working at 15%. It rises and falls a few degrees but for now, she isn't on dialysis. We believe she got the disease from all the medication she has had to take over the years for her various ailments. We do not believe she would be accepted into the transplant list because of her other medical issues.

I take her to her appointments every week. I make her meals so she will eat. I do the dishes because her hands itch and she can't do them. When she got dizzy and fell a month ago, I was the one who carried her to the ER and I've been the one pushing her around in the wheelchair. I am her eldest grandchild and I am the one she raised. It's not a role.... it's love.

I have learned from this experience to cherish everyday and every moment I have with her.

I get through the difficult days by simply moving forward. It's so hard because I look at the woman who is every bit my grandmother as my own mother and it hurts. My grandmother puts on the bravest face, she doesn't fear death. I don't technically fear death but I fear life and what kind of world it will be with her gone.

My advice to other caregivers and family members is to exhaust every resource you can find. Fight for them like they would fight for us.

Location: Camas, WA