Losing a Sibling

Losing a loved one or someone that you really care about is never that easy. I lost people when I was growing up but it was different because I really wasn’t that close to them. It is hard losing someone close to you whether it’s a family member or a close friend. I’ve lost relatives and friends of the family growing up but the hardest one of all was losing my brother. My brother is the second oldest out of eight kids. Even though he was older than me, we were close. Losing my brother was one of the hardest days of my life. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a day before my brother had passed away that my mom had gotten a phone call from one of his friends saying that he’s in the hospital. After my mom, had gotten off the phone she just started crying while I and my two other brothers were trying to figure out what was wrong. My mom told us that our brother Lifi was in the hospital.

The rest of the siblings found out that he was in the hospital. The only sibling who was close to him was my other brother Newel. Both lived in Las Vegas so he was the closest one and he would be the one to tell us if anything happens to Lifi. The rest of us were trying to call Lifi before he went into surgery. We were all worried about him going into surgery and hoping that he would make it. Before he went into surgery, he called me to tell me that he was scared going into surgery. I told him that everything was going to be fine and to just say a little prayer and that I love him. I told him that I’ll call him right back because our sister Marie was calling me. We talked and she asked me if I got ahold of Lifi and I told her that I did. She said I will call you back after I call him. I didn’t know that would be the last time that I got to talk to him and hear his voice. I went to sleep around midnight to get some rest before going to work the next day.

One of my brothers woke me up around 4 in the morning. So, and my two brothers got together and said a prayer hoping that our brother Lifi would make it out of surgery. My brother Newel was on his way home from the hospital where Lifi was at. The doctors called Newel and told him that Lifi didn’t make it. Our brother Newel made his calls and told us that Lifi didn’t make it. We found out around 5 in the morning Georgia time. I went to my room to call my best friend. She didn’t pick up the phone so as I was leaving her a voicemail and she ended up calling me back while I was leaving the voicemail. I just busted out crying telling her that he didn’t make it. She told me that everything will be okay. She told me just to call out of work. I told her that I need to go to work to clear my mind. I got ready for work. I got to work 10 minutes before we opened and asked my boss if I could talk to him in private. He saw that my face was red and asked what was wrong. I started crying again and told him that my brother had passed away this morning. He told me to go home and don’t worry about coming to work. I’ll have someone cover your shift. I left work and went home to change out of my uniform.

My best friend was there at the house. So, we went for a walk to help me clear my mind and to talk about things. When we got back to my house, she told me to get in the car because we’re going to the store. After spending an hour or two at the store we went back to my house. My cousin was at the house by the time I got home. A friend of the family told her that Lifi had passed away. Once she saw me, she asked me if I was okay. I told her that I was alright. She told me just to remember that Lifi loved you since you came to the family.

Our family members and friends found out on Facebook. People were wishing their condolences to us. That was the hardest day of my life. Some of my friends didn’t know what to say because they don’t know what it’s like to lose a sibling. I told them it’s one of the hardest days of your life losing a sibling. The burial was in Las Vegas. A lot of people showed up at his memorial service. It was hard seeing him in the casket. I just couldn’t go near the casket because I knew that I would start crying again. It was even harder for some of my nieces and nephews. They realized that they would never see him again. It was hard on my family once we put him in the ground. Just losing my brother, I wasn’t being myself for a couple of weeks until I had a friend who helped me. It’s been 4 years since he passed away and I still miss him to this day. The conversation that was most memorable to me that I and my brother had was if our dad passed away before my wedding that my brother Lifi would be the one to walk me down the aisle to my future husband. It’s just all the memories that we shared. I miss my brother so much. I know one day that I will see him again.