It spreads. It spreads until they can no longer breathe, and then, it takes their life.
All you’re left with are the memories, the good times and the bad times. You’re left with all the things you wish you could’ve done. You’re left with all the things you wish you could’ve said.
To others, to your family, all you can share are those memories. All you can do is tell others what an amazing person they were.
A life was taken far, far too soon because of cancer. Many lives are taken too soon because of this awful, awful disease.
In April 2016, I participated in my first Relay for Life event at ODU. I remember standing outside in the cold for the Luminaria ceremony with members of the organization I was participating in the Relay with and brothers of the fraternity I would join later that year. It truly was a beautiful ceremony.
I’m not one to cry in public, but I almost did for that day. I lit up a glow stick in honor of my maternal grandmother, who passed away because of cancer that spread through her body. I never really got to know her. As I cracked the glow stick, all I could think of were all of the stories my mom told me over the years. All I had were my mom’s memories of her own mother.
I could only wonder how my relationship would have been with her if I had been able to get to know her. I could only wonder how my life would have been different if I had been able to get to know her. Even as I type this, questions race through my mind of how different everything could have been.
But I’ll never get to know. I’ll never get to have all those questions answered because cancer took her away before I could ever get to know her. All I’ll ever have are the memories shared with me. All I’ll ever get to know are the stories my mom has told me over the years. I won’t ever get to create my own memories with her.
A disease may have taken her, and many others, away from us physically, but their memory still lives on through photos and the memories we have with them that we can share with friends and family.
If you ever feel like something’s wrong, get yourself checked and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Even if you find out nothing is wrong, it’s still better to be safe than sorry.
Photo Credit: Giphy