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Personal Essay: The Sobiech Family

509 Words3 Pages

“Okay, Lord, you can have him. But if he must die, I want it to be for something big. I want someone’s life to be changed forever.” said Laura. It all started when Zach, age 14, went for a run with his sister. Afterwards, he didn’t really think much of an uncanny pain in his hip until it worsened with time. Soon, the Sobiech family was ascertaining that Zach had osteosarcoma. As the family goes through highs and lows, Zach’s ambition never waned. Three items that have some type of impact in the story are Zach’s guitar, Daisy (the family dog), and shoes.
Guitar is a way to escape, purify yourself, cleanse your soul and heal your heart. I can relate to Zach on a personal level, because I too cope with everyday struggles by beating on a guitar. For Zach’s third infusion, he brought his guitar. A little three-year-old boy, whose six-year-old brother was receiving an infusion in the next room, stood in the doorway, mesmerized as he watched him play (Sobiech 98). Three items Zach would always bring with to get his infusions were his guitar, comforter, and pillow. As the story develops and Zach’s disease progresses, it becomes clear to the reader why music replaces and becomes more important in his life. …show more content…

Studies have shown that animal therapy can decrease anxiety and pain, lower blood pressure and help alleviate depression, while offering companionship and a distraction from treatments. The Sobiech family decided to adopt a puppy named, Daisy, to help them through the hard times. She was like a furry panacea. As Daisy’s little tiff with the puppy in the mirror played out, we all turned and regarded her for a moment, then looked at one another as we wiped the tears from our faces. The tension and sadness shifted so easily into torrents of laughter, and I realized what a blessing this little beast was (Sobiech 75). Daisy’s look-what-I-can-do dog yaps temporarily lightened their

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