So, to address this very simple, yet daunting, heart-pounding, palm-sweat-inducing question, I do what every normal young adult does. I simply shrug and say "something, I'm sure!" or "Well, for right now, take some time off, enjoy some freedom, I mean, I've been studying vigorously for 4 years!" Which all really translate to "I'm not sure yet, and if we could change the subject I might not go into a stress induced anxiety attack." And so, to distract myself from the fact that the next 60+ years of my life are currently being arranged, I divert my attention to buzzfeed, blogs, and books.
Well, lucky for me, I stumbled across an amazing book, that has inspired this blog post. That book is "Fly A Little Higher" by Laura Sobiech.
If you're not familiar with the story of Zach Sobiech, I highly encourage that you take the time to learn about what an amazing impact this young man had on his family, the music industry, and life itself. I had heard about Zach as many did, through links shared on Facebook. Unfortunately, it had been the day he died, when I heard his song "Clouds," and immediately, I dragged my mom into the living room, "Mom! You have to watch this with me! It's about this amazing boy, you'll really like it!" And there we sat, my mom and I, watching Zach's "My Last Days" video, and crying on each other's shoulder, because we sympathized, and we understood.
One year later, I'm back home after surprising my mom with a visit back to my hometown of Wellington, FL, casually strolling through Target, attempting to avoid impulsive purchases, and this book stops me in my tracks. "Mom! Look! She wrote a book! Mom, I HAVE to buy this!" So we did. Because, again, we understood. Zach's story, was close to our hearts, because cancer is close to our hearts. Cancer is what tested our strength, cancer is what made me develop a passion for nursing, and cancer is the reason my family wakes up every morning with a positive resolve for the day.
A concept that Laura Sobiech, the brave mother of Zach Sobiech, enforced was the importance to write down the memories that happened during a tumultuous time. She kept a journal during Zach's treatment, which helped her cope with her emotions and organize her thoughts during the entire journey that Zach's treatment, condition, and life taught her. Upon reading how her reflections motivated her care with Zach, I came to a realization that I too, needed to have a way of reminding myself of the battle I conquered with my mother. While I am so blessed to still have my mom around to call everyday, skype every week, and nag occasionally, it is never far from my mind just how far we have come. That being said, I have never taken the time to sit down and truly write down how my mother and I endured her rigorous disease process, and I thought "maybe it's time to share my story." So, here I am.
Over the next several weeks, I want to recount my beautiful Mom's battle with Stage 3 Ductal Breast Cancer, and how she continues the fight today. I promise this isn't any attempt to gain sympathy or feed off of Zach Sobiech's amazing life, but simply an inspiration stemmed off of a family that showed true beauty in the face of adversity. If I can make one person, whose simply skimming the internet, feel touched by my story, I will feel as though I have done my job, and have passed on the beauty of strength, even when it is the only choice you have.
To watch "My Last Days: Zach Sobiech": http://youtu.be/9NjKgV65fpo
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