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Hauntings
One year after my grandfather’s passing
October 31, 2021 was the first anniversary of my grandfather Peter’s death.
Three-hundred and sixty-one days earlier, on October 27, 2020, he had gone into the hospital for a planned back surgery, which went off without a hitch. During his recovery, he began experiencing issues with his heart, which had already given him plenty of trouble with four minor heart attacks in ten years.
His doctors in Florida monitored him closely, and we were all in constant contact from New Jersey, but overall, we were optimistic about his recovery. The surgery had stressed his heart, which needed time to recuperate, but he was an otherwise strong, healthy seventy-five-year-old who could not wait to return to his pool and his couch.
On the afternoon of October 30th, a Friday, Peter went into cardiac arrest. He was quickly resuscitated, but he remained unconscious, and his heart was never fully stabilized again. It would continue failing and being restored through the rest of the evening and into the early morning of Halloween.
As soon as the doctors informed her of the situation, my mother Annmarie booked a flight for herself and Mary, my grandmother and Peter’s ex-wife. The earliest they were able to get on a plane was four a.m. Saturday morning.
