It was a warm, sunny day in the midst of June. The sun was shining and I was just coming off the bus from my last day of school. As I took my leap off the bus steps, I ran to the bus stop where my grandmother always stood to pick me up. But, that day was different. My grandmother wasn't there like usual, so there I stood with my perfect report card and lunch box in hand, waiting to see her smile and for her to say how proud she was of me. Instead, I was eventually greeted by my mother with a solemn look on her face. She looked me in the eyes and gently grabbed my hand, and walked me home.
I was only eight years old when we first met. You came unexpected, but ended up being a major part of my life. Your lasting impression made such an impact, there is no possible way I could ever forget the moment you changed my life forever.
It was then, that my mother told me that my grandmother had cancer. At the time, I didn't know what that meant. My mother continued to explain that my grandmother was sick and that it was serious. Me being only eight, I thought it would go away in a week or so, but I was wrong.
My childhood soon became a whirlwind of hospital trips and doctors appointments, constantly surrounded by the fear of receiving more bad news and another disappointment. As I attended more and more appointments, my childhood began to drift away; my own innocence stolen by what you brought to me and my loved ones. Instead of spending my days going on backyard adventures with my friends, I sat next to my grandmother, holding her hand during each and every treatment. My eyes soon adapted to a completely different outlook on life. I watched my grandmother's skin become pale and her hair that she brushed every single day, began to thin and eventually lose the luscious life it once had. As the years of my childhood passed by, the light in my grandmother began to drift away.
As I grew older, you stuck around. No matter how hard I just wanted you go away, you wouldn't budge. You made sure to stand your ground and make your presence known. But I didn't want you here. No one wanted you here. It was at that point, one victim in my life wasn't enough for you, but you needed a second. Before I knew it, you took my grandfather away from me. One of the most important male figures in my life, gone as quick as you infected him. And yet, you still remained in my life, laughing at the pain and torment you continuously caused, which only fed your desire to hurt even more.
By the age of 20, you took my grandmother away from me. She was gone even before I had the chance to say goodbye. You continued to take some of the most important people in my life from me, and you continue to do so around the world. I have walked through life pondering some sort of explanation as to why this had to happen to the people that have meant the world to me. But I keep finding myself stuck in this same place; a place of anger, confusion, and heartache.
This needs to stop. You can't keep doing this to people and their families anymore. Please? Can't you see all of the pain you're causing? You're taking away the lives of people around the entire world, both young and old, striking a detrimental hit that our hearts cannot bare.
Don't want to back down? Fine. Neither will we. There will be a day when we not only defeat the battles you instigated, but win the wars you think you'd conquer. Instead, we will be the victors. We will be the ones who will get to continue living our lives, knowing that we have overcame the biggest enemy the world has ever known. You will not win. You won't. And that's a promise that me, and the rest of the world are going to keep.
