Difficulties

Today, as part of the program I am working at, we visited the Juravinksi Cancer Centre, in Hamilton. It was a tough day. We visited there two years ago as well, when I worked here, so I knew it would be a tough day.

Over the course of my increasingly medium length life, I have had many brushes with cancer. Anywhere from family members or friends surviving, to having scares involving loved ones. Topping it off was losing my grandmother to cancer a few years ago.

My grandmother, Betty was a life long smoker. She never got sick. She quit the day my nephew was born and got sick very soon after. The doctors did all they could but it wasn't enough. Betty died in February 13, 2010.

Betty was a fighter all her life and she fought until the very last day. My sister was pregnant when Gramma died and she insisted that she was going to live long enough to see that baby born. As hard as she fought, Betty Lou didn't make it. Elizabeth Louise was born the next September, named after my gramma.

For the last three years I've done all that I can to try prevent others from going through what my family went through, but the burden seems extra heavy on days like today...