The one where cancer won

When I was 13 years old, my sister and I had moved to my new house with my mom after my parent's divorce, sadly, I had to leave behind my friends and most of my family. My new school was about the same size as my old school so it wasn't that hard to adjust. My dad got partial custody of my sister and me, so we went and visited every weekend. Every Saturday my friend Brook and I would meet up and talk about everything that was happening in each other lives that the other didn't know about. Her life was taking a turn that I wouldn't have been able to handle. Brook, without crying, had told me that she was diagnosed with leukemia. This wasn't easy for me to hear because I knew I wasn't able to help her through this when I lived so far away from her.

The next day in church, the band had finished their opening to the sermon and during prayer, our pastor had brought up how our church family is the strongest it had ever been. I could tell it wasn't easy to break the news to everyone who had attended that day, but he took a deep breath and said, "With a heavy heart but high hopes, I would like for everyone to keep the Kidder family in their thoughts and prayers as we have recently found out that their daughter, Brook, has been diagnosed with leukemia and will be flying to Texas this next week for a lung transplant." After the sermon, my dad asked if I knew before today and I explained to him that I had been talking to Brook for the past week or so, but I didn't know about her transplant. I tried to keep high hopes as I went back to school during the week, it was hard but my dad had told my principal about Brook so it made it easier knowing I had support from my teachers.

It was that Thursday night that my life changed. My phone rang while my friend's older sister was driving me home, I wasn't surprised because it was my dad. He had told me, "I need you to remember that I am always here for you..." At this point, I knew something was wrong, my heart dropped as I heard the words, "Brook had to have a double lung transplant, she didn't make it through the procedure." When I got home I ran to my room and just sat on my bed staring at my wall. I didn't want to believe it was true, my best friend was...gone.

After a few months had passed, I thought it would have gotten easier but boy was I wrong. It was hard on Sundays when I didn't see her face or hear her laugh or her corny jokes but, somehow I got through it with the support of my family. I didn't miss any school after she had passed and everyone felt like they had to walk on eggshells around me, always asking me if I was okay or if I needed to vent about it.

When a year had gone by, I felt a little better but not the same that I was. I still sent her letters every-now and again because it made me feel good. Now, I feel as if this was an experience that has helped me through a lot, learning how to look at my life differently, and learning to hold onto the things I love. And the one thing that Brook had told me that sticks with me every bad day that I have is, "There is always someone having a worse day or life that you are right now." And in today's world, that couldn't be further than the truth.