I first saw the news on Facebook in the recent news section. I couldn’t believe my eyes so I clicked frantically. I read through all the headlines and, at first, I was relieved to see some reports that it was just a hoax. More headlines kept pouring in saying otherwise and my heart began to sink again. I even had to take a picture of an article and text it to my aunt who is also a big fan of Ang and the show. She directed me to E! News to see the final verdict and my heart broke a second time.
I always watched "Mob Wives" when it is on, and I enjoyed that I saw a lot of who I wanted to be in Ang. She had a strong character, she knew what she wanted, but most of all, she was kind and never wanted people to fight. She is strong with all the things her castmates throw at her and I admired that greatly.
I remember having watched an episode where she was trying to get her liquor license back. Having a bar was what she lived off of and she was really good at it too. She was just trying to get back to something familiar and something she liked but she couldn’t. I bring this up because although she was not able to get this piece of her back, she managed to give us the strength to carry on and fight for what we want.
I asked myself how and why this could have happened. I didn’t see it coming at all. I knew Big Ang had health problems due to cancer but I always thought that she could bounce back. I kept texting my aunt about how I felt and my aunt also texted that she had thought that Ang was in remission this whole time. My aunt and I were in shock. We hadn’t seen this coming and it hit us hard.
Sometimes, what I fail to realize is that no matter how strong a person is in heart and mind, the body can give in when it’s too much. That is what happened to our Ang on Thursday, February 18, at 3:01 a.m. She succumbed to her cancers. A cancer that started in her esophagus and had spread to her liver and her brain. This was big news for my aunt and me since we thought she was in the clear for now. I’m sure nevertheless Big Ang was a fighter in her final seconds however because that’s the Ang we know and cherish.
I will always remember how much she hated fights and how she wanted everyone to just come together and love each other. I will, for sure, start to re-watch every episode of Mob Wives, just in loving memory of our Angela Raiola. We will see if the Mob Wives stars can hold up to Ang’s nature now that she is gone, although she will never be gone from our hearts.
