When I was 16 I made a really good friend through one of my clubs in high school. She was a freshman and I was a sophomore and though it wasn't exactly cool to befriend younger kids in high school I liked her a lot. She was extremely motivated to become an active member of the club and we worked together a lot. She was literally the nicest girl I had ever met. Even though she had leukemia and had lost all of her hair to chemo she had a wonderful way of looking at life. A lot of guys liked her because she was so spunky.
We hung out occasionally as time went by. She wasn't in my group of friends but I saw her a lot at school and in our club. When she didn't come back to school immediately after Christmas break in my junior year (her sophomore year) I didn't think much of it. A couple of weeks later she died. She didn't even get to turn 16.
I've thought about this friend a lot over the years. What college would she have gone to? Would she have become a doctor like she dreamed? Would she end up with that cute junior who had a crush on her. I know it's cliche but she was such a wonderful person and it's a real shame her life had to end so soon.
A friend on facebook announced today that she was running a half marathon in my late friend's honor. I immediately decided to donate $10 to the cause of finding a cure for Childhood Leukemia. I wish I could give more to charity but I'm glad I am able to do a small part to honor this amazing person I was lucky to know.
3 comments:
Excellent job on the donation. I bet your friend is smiling in heaven for your generosity and fond thoughts. Plus, I'm sure she's happy about you honoring her in your blog!
I had a friend like this in 5th grade, too. She passed away over the summer that year from cancer.
Now, I work in cancer research and it is difficult to see the sick pediatric patients. I always think, 'she is my daughter's age. I could not image the things they go through both patient and family'.
You donation means a great deal in helping to find a cure or better treatment methods. Your rememberence of your friend and donation was a really neat gesture.
Have you considered joining the national bone marrow donor registry? All it takes is filling out a couple of forms and a painless cheek swab to get added to the database. You might end up saving the life of someone who desperately needs a transplant and doesn't have a family member who is a suitable match.
Check out www.marrow.org for more information. The tissue typing kit to join costs $52, but I was able to do it for free through an event at my university last year.
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