I wouldn’t second-guess your grandmother’s decision, since she would know how distressful the procedure would have been. And a person’s age is not irrelevant.
It wasn’t suicide and yes, you don't know her and how strong her faith was in God. Her body was simply winding DOWN. She used to feverishly knit. She couldn’t get her fingers to do it and finally couldn’t remember how to do it. Her top teeth were false. Her bottom teeth were her own. The bottom row was literally falling out, one by one. We’d ask her, where were they - she had no idea. We were just thankful she didn’t choke on them. We were dreading when the dentist would come to do an impression ... for new teeth. Money was never an issue.
Her legs had circulation problems and she had a sore that would heal - the body’s immune system was not really working anymore ... amputation was being considered by doctors because of the blackness. There was no way in the world we’d have her limb or limbs cut off - nor did she want that.
No, AGE is RELEVENT. There is a sad time when the body is simply worn out. You can’t keep propping a person up with chemicals and other things - you have to face reality.
She didn’t fear dying. She loved life. She also knew that her time was coming. She had no problem with that. She accepted reality. She often felt bad when a younger relative died of a disease ... she often said "I would have gladly given my life in exchange for him - he was young and had his life in front of him ... I’ve have a wonderful life ... ."
There comes a point where you let GOD handle it as He did. Thankfully ALL the doctors were wrong about inserting a feeding tube. She was of sound mind and REFUSED - she told them point blank, she’d try to drink liquids and move on to solids but left the outcome up to GOD. Surprisingly she did just that! She survived double lung pneumonia - at AGE 100. It wasn’t her time. Four months shy of turning 101 she had heart failure. No diseases. Just a gentle shutting down of the body - a gentle ending.
We knew what was happening. There are different changes that begin to happen with the body ... breathing is lower ... the person shows agitation but when all the family came - she was calm and relaxed. She KNEW what was happening. When everyone was there, she told us she loved us all and would see all of us soon. Then she let go as she was sung into heaven. It was bitter sweet. It was the perfect ending for a Godly woman.
I strongly disagree on going to “heroic” efforts under circumstances like this - AGE is RELEVENT! This was not euthanasia or suicide - it was simply accepting God's will and recognizing the reality that our bodies will NOT last forever on this earth.
A heart transplant at age 100 would have been ridiculous. She probably would NOT have survived the operation or any operation at that point. Yes, AGE DOES MATTER! Her body was literally shutting down ... it is MOST UNWISE to FIGHT GOD taking a loved one home to heaven.
It was her time to join Him. I can't speak on other situations with other people ... I know that this was a correct decision. She left our family surrounded with people who love her. We miss her and we will always love her. We all look forward to be reunited again for eternity - as she stated, "death is just a temporary separation" - she is right!
“I wouldn’t’t second-guess your grandmother’s decision, since she would know how distressful the procedure would have been. And a person’s age is not irrelevant.”
A persons AGE is RELEVANT! There is no “second guessing” going on here. She put her life in HIS HANDS - just as she did with a emphatic “NO” on a feeding tube. She wasn’t fighting HIM. She didn’t want “heroic efforts” done to keep her on this earth - she left it up to HIM - as we all should ... .
At 100 years old, you don’t have a heart transplant. I doubt that you could find a decent doctor to perform that surgery - because they KNOW, at her AGE, she will die on the operating table. At 100 years old, your body is winding DOWN. You don’t easily heal. Surgery is traumatic to any body at any age and WHY at AGE 100 they typically DO NOT perform this kind of surgery.
You don’t AMPUTATE a LEG from someone who is AGE 100 and has circulation issues. The one foot was BLACK from a sore that would NOT heal. It had nothing to do with unseemliness etc .. it simply wasn’t healing - no matter what cream you put on it. The circulation was gone - no matter how many times you creamed and massaged her foot - the sore was not healing and the black area was getting larger.
If a doctor was sadistic enough to remove the limb, the leg, without our consent or hers - the STUMP would NOT heal! So you’d wind up taking more and more of her UNHEALING body - to “keep her alive” - you don’t put a 100 year old woman through this. The stump left would NOT heal so that would turn black. There is NO WAY in the world that would DISMEMBER her at 100 years old. That’s sadistic and pointless. NO decent person does THAT.
We will NEVER agree on putting a loved Grandmother at AGE 100 through this sadistic, pointless adventure. There is no dignity in that. The fact is God stepped in and let her tired heart stop and join Him in heaven.
We’re simply not a sadistic family - selfish or getting off on seeing her suffer through losing limbs, if you could find a doctor to do that or dying on the operating table ... and then displaying perverted self righteousness.
At AGE 100, you’re grateful that you were allowed to enjoy them this long on earth. You savor the memories and look forward to a reunion in healthy bodies and minds in heaven. You respect the persons wishes and give them the dignity they want on earth. At AGE 100, she served HIM well and in HIS way He let her recuperate from double lung pneumonia, without the stupid feeding tube - she had a couple months more and then HE gently took her home. She had no pain. She had no diseases other than what I mentioned. Her breathing pattern changed and finally her heart slowed down and gently stopped. It’s not suicide. It’s not murder. It’s not euthanasia. It’s simply letting God take her and NOT fighting HIM to keep her on earth - when one by one more body parts will be failing because of her AGE - yes, AGE is relevant - and especially in HER situation! She did NOT fear death - she had no reason to fear death. She had a life long relationship with Christ and saw HIM working in her life on earth.
It’s really a shame that you can’t acknowledge the OBVIOUS. People are not going to find eternal life on earth. From this experience most of the family has a living will. None of us, that are older, want heroic efforts done to keep us here on this earth.
I don’t know if this will happen, but this Grandmother, last of the Grandparents, promised that if she could from heaven, she’d meet each one of us if we die before He comes again. That’s a pact within our family. I don’t know if that will be possible, but if it is I know of many family members that will be there to greet us when God determines we should go home if it’s before the Rapture.
I have nothing more to say - only that perhaps you will come to your senses and let GOD call the shots in your life - instead fallible mortals and their silly philosophy that FIGHTS God’s will when death is knocking at the door - and in this case AGE and the body winding down was HIS will and sign that He wanted her home!
Have some faith in HIM! HE knows best!