Chris began calling Norma his “adopted grandma.”
Norma affectionately described Chris as the “grandson she never had.”
It was an unusual relationship, especially considering the difference in their ages.
But that difference seemed to matter less and less.
They found companionship in each other.
They talked.
They spent time together.
They became part of one another’s everyday lives.
And then Norma’s health began to decline.
She was living with leukemia, and after a hospitalization, doctors determined that she was no longer able to safely live alone.
For Norma, that meant something frightening.
The independence she had known was disappearing.
For Chris, it meant something else.
It meant the woman he had come to regard as his grandmother was suddenly facing a future filled with uncertainty.
He could have offered sympathy.
He could have visited when he had time.
He could have wished her well.
Instead, he made a decision that would completely change both of their lives.
