I always dreamt of going away to college to follow my dreams
and live what I pictured as a great life, but what I never could have predicted
exactly what would happen during those times. Being away from home for 11 months of the year, I
always knew that things would change at home when I came back to visit each
year. The previous two years I had returned, it was pretty evident that things
had changed - new buildings had opened while others had closed down, my mates
had moved off in their own directions and even some of my family had moved
house. Yet, this time when I came home, it really hit me that the more things
changed here, the more they stayed the same.
As most know, my family has been through quite a lot over
the past few years including my mum’s battle with cancer and most recently my
dad nearly losing his hand. While I haven’t been there in the flesh for the
successful recoveries for both of them, I’ve been with them every step of the
way. Strength – something I thought was always evident in the weight room was
given a new definition as I watched my parents get through those tough times.
Moments in their lives may have changed, but they’re still the same.
Coming home this year, I already knew I was going to see
changes, but I don’t think I was quite ready to see what I did.
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| My Biggest Fans |
This year was the first year my grandparents didn’t meet me
at the airport when I arrived home. They recently moved from their home of many
many years to a more appropriate apartment, easily accessible to all our
family. My grandpa has been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s so things
are evidently harder for him and the family. The last few months before I went
away for my first year of college we began to see the signs of this in grandpa,
and then when I returned 11 months later, it was well on it’s way into haunting
him. 11 months is a long time away and it’s not until you see the changes at
home do you realize just how long it really is. Alzheimer’s is one of the worst
things you can watch someone close to you have to battle with, the feeling of
helplessness is something I wouldn’t wish for anyone, but it’s life and the
only way to deal with it is to have faith, accept it and live in and cherish
every moment.
My first stop when I got home was to surprise my
grandparents at their new place, and maybe that’s one of the reasons I was so
excited to get home. I had heard many stories from mum and dad while I was away
of Grandpa forgetting peoples names and not remembering his own family, so I
was scared as to what could transpire, but I was ready for it too. I understand
the way these things are, but you just never really want to accept them but you
have to.
The video below shows my surprise to my grandparents and it
was one of the best feelings I have had this past year. I walked through the
door and the immediate smiles and hugs instantly turned to tears of joy as they
both just sat there and cried they were so happy to see me home. It’s moments
like these that you cherish and enjoy, and it’s moments like these that can
never be taken away. My grandparents used to be at every single game of my
sisters and mine and even all my cousins. I distinctly remember one high school
footy game where someone was giving me a mouthful and my grandpa walked all
around the boundary and had a few words to say to this bloke. Every game, no
matter where it was, they’d be there, for every one of us, and I never truly
understood how they managed it. Whether they were yelling at the opponents, or
cheering for our team, everyone knew who my grandparents were. They were crowd
favorites at the games and it was easy to see why.
Yet when I came home this time I was expecting to see
everything had changed, but I saw that they haven’t stopped doing that at all,
just the way they go about it. They’ve watched every one of my games on the TV
or computer and I know that maybe my grandpa can’t actually see me out there,
but he knows where I am. I can picture them yelling at the TV in joy or at the
other team just the way they always did. They were always my biggest fans and I
can’t see that ever changing. Just because everything has changed, nothing is really all
that different.
It was right at that moment when I walked into the room of
their brand new apartment, and saw their happy smiles instantly turn into tears
of joy, that I realized that my biggest triumphs and successes aren’t on the court
or in the classroom, but in the eyes and the hearts of my family, and
ultimately, that’s the best win of all.
