MY HERO

Your typical fourth grader would not know what “cancer” is; yet I was in fourth grade when I first realized the wrath of this deadly disease. The constant vomiting from the chemotherapy and the loosing of the hair was definitely not an enjoyable sight for those in my family. Coming home to my mother’s tears was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to face. She being such a strong non-emotional woman; I knew that at that point I knew there was something wrong. From that day forward, I knew my life would never be the same.

My grandmother was actually the one who was diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed with leukemia when I was about 12 years old. I would constantly visit her to see how she was doing and to make sure that she felt comfortable and at ease with the chemotherapy situation. My mother and my aunts were constantly switching shifts to make sure that she never felt alone. They had to see her in her worse times. The times when death felt like it was creeping through the door. Nevertheless, my grandma was a trooper and held on through leukemia until she got better. A couple years later, she was diagnosed with cancer once again. This time she had ovarian cancer. Yet her faith lived on so that she can see several more years until she was diagnosed with the final cancer. My grandmother went through so much and never wanted us to see her pain. She had a smile on her face even when she could bare the pain. Her story has encouraged me to live each day as if it were my last. Seeing her and many other children with cancer has allowed me to discover were I belong in life. Their stories have encouraged me to pursue a life of child oncology so that I can help as many diagnosed children as I can.

While little kids have those superficial heroes which they see and mimick from the television such as Spider Man or Superman I have my grandmother; although she is no longer with us, her memory is here for a lifetime. There are many things that are important in life. You have your car, your credit cards, your phone.... but non of those things are as important as the love you have from your family. Saturday was suppose to be my grandmother's 65 birthday, she passed away last year from cancer. She was one of the main reasons why I decided to go into the medical field. I made her a promise right before she died that i would do everything i could to try and stop others from going through what she went through and with tears in her eyes she told me she always thought i could do it and not to let anybody stop me. Its hard to believe how much impact on person could have in your life. She was so young but went through so much. She is my hero. She fought through leukemia, ovarian cancer, and then the final cancer. She was a woman of her faith. Its hard to believe that it was a year ago that i last had a hug from her. Its hard to let go of that fact that shes gone. But one thing is for sure. ... Her strength and determination will live on forever through me.

Happy Birthday Abuelita. I love you.
p.s. this may not make much sense. but its random thoughts from the heart.