My Biggest Fear

Almost six years ago, my family and I received devastating news that would change our lives forever. It was the day after the 4th of July and I was on vacation with my family. During the late afternoon the phone rang and my Dad answered. My grandmother was on the other end crying hysterically. My mom's brother, my Uncle M.L., had passed away earlier that afternoon from a heart attack he suffered while on his boat, just ten days after his first son and my first cousin, Tres, was born. It was devastating news for the whole family and was completely unexpected. Why? How could this happen? He was only thirty-seven. He was healthy, happy, active and full of life. It just didn't make any sense.

Just two years before this horrible tragedy, my grandfather passed away from a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Sadly, he became ill with the disease while my grandmother was still in her forties. I cherish the few years I was able to spend with both my Uncle and my Grandfather, but am disheartened by the fact that I have not and will not be able to share the rest of my life with them.

A year ago this month, I was forced to say goodbye to another loved one, my Great-Grandmother, Meme. She was an incredible lady and I was extremely close to her from the day I was born until the day she passed away. In the final day of her life, my family and I gathered around her bedside in the ICU at Presbyterian Hospital and together turned off the life support. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Although I knew deep down it was time for her to move onto a better place, I was not yet ready to say goodbye. I do and will always miss her and love her dearly.

Losing a loved one is the most difficult thing in life to deal with. My family has supreme importance in my life and it is impossible to imagine life without them. My biggest fear in life is to lose more of those closest to me. After dealing with unexpected death, especially in the case of my Uncle, whose life was cut decades short, I consistently worry about the possibility of more tragedies in my family. If there is one thing I have realized, it is that I must cherish every single second, minute, hour and day that I am able to spend with my family.