She was a Memaw like no other! She was a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and she was one-of-a-kind!! The greatest memories of my childhood were made with my memaw and papaw. My brother, Gary, and I, were their only grandchildren and they spoiled us rotten!! I spent almost every weekend of my life at their house. We would go for walks, ride bikes, go to the DQ for a dilly bar, and sit on the porch and just talk.
When I was real small, my grandparents moved to Tennessee. That was really hard for me. While they were gone, they would send my brother and I letters all the time. The letters always came with a stick of gum and a cert in them. I still have those letters today!! They are something that I cherish.
She became a Christian in 1977, and began to attend church regularly. When I would spend the weekends with her, I would go too. She is the first person to introduce me to Jesus. She would pray for me and tell me all about Jesus and His love for me. I got "saved" many times in my childhood. It made her happy, but I knew I wasn't really a Christian. I stopped going to church with her when I became a teenager and I know that really hurt her, but she still loved me and I knew she was still praying for me.
In August of 1988, my grandmother made a decision that almost cost her life. She decided to cut her grass on one of the hottest days of the summer. When she came in the house, she suffered a massive stroke. I was at work, when my mom called me and asked me to come home right after I got off. I did not even think that something would be wrong. After coming home, my mom and dad gave me the news that she suffered a stroke and was in the hospital. I was devastated!! My world had just collapsed.
When I saw her in the hospital, it shook me to my core. She was completely paralyzed on the left side, couldn't speak clearly, and had some brain damage. A woman that was completely independent was now like a baby :( It was a heartbreaking scene. As the weeks went by, she was able to talk a little better. Sometimes she would say a word that wasn't what she wanted to say but that's how it came out. She knew she wanted to say dog, but it would come out cat. That made her very frustrated! One day, I came to visit her and she was really sad. Her favorite song was amazing grace. I asked her to sing it for me and I was blown away! She sang every word so clear it was like she never had a stroke at all! I cried all the way to work!!
Her stroke was only the beginning of her troubles. A few months after her stroke, we discovered a lump in her breast. Our hearts were broken again. She had cancer now, too! On the day that her second great grandchild was born, she was in another hospital having surgery to remove her breast. It was a bittersweet day. A beautiful birth and a devastating loss(of her breast) on the same day. Although she came through the surgery okay, it still was a hard thing to see.
She recovered from the surgery but her life was still dramatically different. She was released from the hospital and was in a wheelchair. My family took care of her for as long as we could. My dad had to make the difficult decision to put her in a nursing home. She hated it!! We hated it!!! But we were left with no choice. She eventually got used to it, but not for long!!
On August 2nd, 1989, almost a year to the day of her stroke, my Memaw went to be with her Lord!! A woman who I thought would be with me forever, was gone. I was a mess!! I begged God, to give her back to me. But He didn't, and I was mad!!
I missed my Memaw dearly!!
She was everything to me, and she was gone. I tried to get back to my normal life and move on, but I was in denial and anger. I didn't want to believe that she was gone, and was never coming back and I was angry that a God she loved and always talked about would take her from me. I struggled for months. For six months to be exact!
Another woman that was special in my life was my "adopted" grandmother, Margariete. She was my childhood friends grandmother and I loved her like she was my grandmother. One day, out of the blue, I stopped over her house. She was a Christian, and always tried to share the Gospel with me, but I was never interested. Until this day. February 11th, 1990, I gave my life to Jesus, and I have NEVER been the same. I knew without a doubt that Jesus loved me and he loved my Memaw too!! I would see her again!! I was just sad that she didn't live to see me take that step. But you know what....she already knew!!! She planted and watered that seed and I love her for that. If she were alive today, I know that she would be proud of me!
This is my Memaw, Ollie Hegedus, holding her first great-grandchild, Amber Nicole Hegedus.
I miss you so much, Memaw!! I'd give anything to have another day with you and to hear your voice! Happy 90th Birthday to you in Heaven.....eat cake!!!
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