Grisham's Lessons #7 Sacrifice

Larry’s perspective on MS comes from his grandmother who suffered with the disease for years. The character Reg Grisham is actually taken from Larry’s grandfather, whose soul purpose in life was to make his ailing wife as comfortable as possible. His grandfather didn’t live near the water, and didn’t have a sailing yacht, but he did willingly lay aside all of his personal desires to care for his wife.

In Legend of Crystal Cove, Grisham, upon learning that Lucille’s disease had progressed to the point that she required more care than he was able to provide alone, Grisham located Le Chateau, an all inclusive senior care center that could do what he could not. Le Chateau was much more than an assisted living center. It was a large campus that included private condo’s, senior apartments, as well as assisted living facilities equipped to handle all types of patient care. With the exception of extensive surgeries, which were handled at the nearby hospital, full medical care was available onsite.

Le Chateau was located on piece of land overlooking the Narrows, and included amenities that allowed folks to do as much as they were able without leaving the gated community. Golf, tennis, beautiful gardens, a hall for social gatherings, a movie theatre, and a large pool were all part of the offering.

The love of Grisham’s life, aside from Lucille, was his 52’ sailing yacht, Sea Imp. She was the result of years of hard work and saving, and the fulfillment of a dream. He would be able to hang on to his estate at Raft Island, but would need to sell Sea Imp to pay for his wife’s care at Le Chateau. Perhaps the only thing that hurt worse than parting with Sea Imp was seeing Lucille’s health decline. The yacht broker located a buyer and the deal was made—it was a decision he never regretted. In Lucille’s final years Grisham gave her the best he could, something his sweet companion was so deserving of.