Loneliness is one of the most dangerous health issues, despite the fact that it is rarely discussed. According to Psychology Today, loneliness has the same mortality risks as obesity, smoking, alcoholism, and inactivity.
According to a meta-analysis conducted by Brigham Young University, social isolation may increase the risk of premature death by up to 50%. Loneliness is a problem because people suffer in silence, and it affects those we don’t see.
Megan Elizabeth recently shared a touching story on social media about how her grandfather was lonely and reached out to her. The story demonstrates what can happen when one person is brave enough to confront their social isolation, as well as the important role grandchildren can play in the lives of their grandparents.
It started when Megan’s grandpa texted her to ask if she’d like to come over for a sleepover. “I haven’t been feeling well and miss you. We can order food and watch a mystery show. Love, grandpa,” he wrote.
Megan was happy to go see him, so grandpa made a series of requests to make the sleepover a hit.
“Could you pick up applesauce? The cinnamon kind,” he asked. “And if you go somewhere with mash potatoes, I would like that because I have no teeth and can only eat soft things. Ha!”
He also wanted some strawberry ice cream for dessert. “Thank you. You are my favorite granddaughter,” he ended the conversation. Megan later noted that she was his only granddaughter.
Megan stopped by with a large bag of food and ice cream, and the two of them hung out and watched his favorite black-and-white “mystery movies.” Grandpa hadn’t forgotten how to put her to sleep when it was time for bed. He got her a glass of water to keep by the bed in case she became thirsty and placed a flashlight on the nightstand in case his 29-year-old granddaughter became scared.
He watched her leave for work the next morning at 5:30 a.m.
The grandfather and granddaughter grew up together. Megan spent her childhood living with her grandparents while her parents saved up for a house. It was right across the street when they bought one.
“I am so lucky to have grown up with my grandpa and my grandma (rest in peace),” she wrote on Instagram. “I feel so happy. I am thankful for my grandpa and he will never understand how much love he truly has shown me. And more importantly, the love he showed my grandma while she was alive. I believe in love and loyalty because of this man. He is my hero,” she added.
Megan’s time with her grandfather made her realize a valuable lesson about her life.
“I think one of the most important realizations I have had recently is that it’s important to live in the moment but it is important to live in the now with intent,” she wrote on Instagram, “so that when you are 92, you look back and smile at all the people you loved, the memories you made and the life you chose to live.”