Medical staff allowed Peterson to visit his ailing granddaughter. Due to the effects of ALS, he can’t speak, move his hands, and relies on a feeding tube. He remains, however, painfully cogent of his surroundings. And that left him sobbing by Braylynn’s bedside.
Family Shares Heart-Wrenching Photo of Grandfather at Bedside of Dying Girl to Show Impact of Cancer https://t.co/Y99krsPUf3
— People (@people) January 11, 2018
“He does not deserve this. He, like me, we’re supposed to watch our grandkids grow up and make us great-grandparents,” Beth Peterson-Hickman, Braylynn’s grandmother and Peterson’s former wife, told People. “I begged God to give that baby’s tumor to me. I’ve had 50 years here — she’s barely had five. I’d gladly take that baby’s tumor,” Peterson-Hickman added.
This photo, and the reasons behind it, are devastating, of course, and the internet has reached out to help cover medical expenses and, because hard truths have to be faced, funeral costs. The family has set up a GoFundMe page.