Most people have been blessed to have an incredible person in their lives. Whether that individual be a parent, grandparent, sibling or any other relative or friend, there’s someone who has meant so much to you and played an important role in your life.
For me, one of those primary individuals was my Nana.
Although she was just my grandmother, she was much more than that to me. She was a superhero, in my opinion. If I needed anything, she he was the person to call and was there instantly. She was the one who would constantly check on me and ask how work was going. “What did you write about today?,” she’d regularly ask. She was the one who would put her family and friends before herself. She sacrificed so much throughout her life to make sure that we all had the best of everything – even when she really shouldn’t have. That’s just who she was.
Many people know this, but Nana and I shared a special bond. She was like a mom to me. With my mother pretty much out of my life from the start due to decisions she’s made over the years, Nana was the woman who was always there for me. My dad has always been there and did a great job raising me, but he couldn’t have done it all without some help from Nana. She was always there supporting me in everything I did, and that meant the world to me.
One of the things me and Nana really bonded over was WKU sports – especially basketball. Nana had season tickets for years and took me to games with her all the time. When I served as a ball boy as a youngster, Nana would take me to Diddle Arena early before every game and sat right behind the goal where I was working. After my ball boy days ended, Nana and I still attended almost every single home game together and sat in the very same seats. Once I began covering WKU as a young sports reporter in 2015, Nana still attended nearly every single home game. She went to games all the way through the end of the 2020 season. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in good enough health to make it back to Diddle this season – but you better believe that she still kept up with the team.
I lost my Nana, Sondra Lawrence Grimes, early Thursday morning. She passed away peacefully in her sleep after a short battle with cancer. I already miss her so much, but it makes me so happy to know that she’s no longer suffering and is at peace.
Thank you, Nana – for everything. I’ll love you forever.
Tyler Mansfield 