It's a sunny day; the birds are chirping, and the grass is green. All of a sudden, your life turns into a storm. You find out the person you love will have a storm of his own: cancer. We all may take different paths in life, but unfortunately, we are all connected by that one word. All too often we know someone who is battling cancer. It's not fair.

I lost my grandparent, my aunt, and my uncle all to cancer. Now, I am watching a man I hold close to my heart, and whose family I consider my own family, battle cancer. It breaks my heart. It broke my heart when I learned my grandfather passed away from cancer four years ago. It broke my heart when I learned the uncle I admired most, and who I unfortunately did not get to spend that much time with, lost his battle to cancer. And now my heart is breaking for the family that is watching the man who is a father, husband, son, and brother, battle cancer.

Cancer sucks. And cancer doesn't discriminate. Out of all the glorious things God created in this world, I cannot begin to fathom why God would bring such a menacing disease to hurt His own children. Why must this evil mutation exist in our bodies? How is it fair to take an innocent child, a loving father, or a mother of four from this world? It's not. Not only is it painful for the warriors who are battling cancer, but it is painful for the loving people around them who are watching them fight it, and feel helpless in this unfair battle. Those people spend their lives trying to understand why, why did the good Lord take their loved one? There are days when I don't believe that cancer does not have a cure. I try to convince myself that there is a conspiracy that the cure is being held back from us, and then I realize I do that only to find something to blame, because God, I don't want to blame You for this awful monster. But it's there, and we have to learn to not only live with it around us, but be strong when it hits home.

Cancer is life-changing. It is life-changing for everyone involved. Cancer, as awful as it is, teaches people lessons. Cancer taught me how to grieve. It taught me how to be strong towards my mother when her father passed away. It taught me to be strong for my father when his first cousin passed away. And it taught me how to mourn over the loved ones I lost. Cancer takes people away from you. As devastating as it is, it may physically take people away from you. But cancer does not take the memories from you. And don't you ever let it. You have memories of your loved ones. Don't remember the awful ones cancer caused. Remember the memories that put a smile on your face. Remember you walking to the store on a summer evening to grab your grandpa a beer. Remember you playing with your uncle in front of his house on a hot summer night, watching his eyes crinkle when he laughs. Remember playing soccer outside with your dad.

Everyone who has to deal with cancer becomes stronger because of it. To the people battling cancer in their own bodies: you are strong. You are warriors. You are powerful and beautiful for not letting this disease take the smile away from your face. To the families and friends of loved ones battling cancer: you, too, are strong. You are loving, and you are the rocks that are keeping everything around you together. You are warriors as well. And to our fallen warriors, we will meet again, and your families miss you.

And to cancer: you suck. You take away people we love and people we admire and don't give us anything in return. You cause hurt, pain, regret, and sadness and create these storms in our lives that we don't need. You are relentless. People just want to live their lives; but instead, you take lives away and force other lives to worry and wonder if they are next. You are a monster. But just like any monster, I completely believe you will be gone one day. I wholeheartedly believe that one day the sun will shine, and the birds will chirp and cancer will NOT create a storm in our lives.