Personal Narrative: My Experience With Leukemia

On March 4th, my happy and carefree bubble popped. My world changed and everthing around me went downhill when I lost my cousin to his battle with cancer. The word CANCER alone has the power to send chills down my spine and hold me in a catatonic state. A part of me felt lost. It was like he took a piece of me with him when he went six feet under. He was taken so soon at the young age of 30. He had so much life to live. He was married to a beautiful and strong wife, who has become my pillar of inspiration as she continues to be the strong for her family and their children. Their daughter, Izzy, has become the backbone of their family. Being diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of two, she offers me a solace of hope as she represents what it means

One of his favorite verses from the bible that really stood out for me is..."I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH." {Philippians 4:13}. When we laid my cousin to rest, I placed his funeral program on the dashboard of my truck as a reminder of my cousin and to trust GOD that he had better plans for my cousin. Every night I light up a candle for him. There’s never a night that I don’t say good night and tell him that I miss him. My family is aware of how hard is death was for me. I can scream, cry, and shout WHY but in the end, a part of me is missing. I don 't know if I can ever truly accept that he is gone, I guess only time will tell. Or maybe just writing these few words is a way of me letting him go. But what I do know is that whenever I look into the eyes of his children, I see a part of my cousin. A part of my heart breaks for the fact that he won 't be there to be part of monumental moments in his children 's lives but a deep part of me knows that he will always be there in spirit. The unknown is a scary thing... it 's something that I worry and fear. But what is known, is that I will always love and miss you, AJ. May you rest in peace. May I find the strength to let you go and accept your death. But please know you are never forgotten. #teamcancersuck