Six letters.

One word.

Life changing.

Cancer.

It was the end of winter break of my senior year. I was at work all day on January 2nd, 2017.

When I got home, I got the news.

My little brother. My other half. My partner in crime… had been diagnosed with cancer.

Leukemia.

My thirteen-year-old baby brother was sick, so very sick.

It completely broke my heart.

My parents and brother were down in Ann Arbor at the children’s hospital, getting tests done to figure out Brandon’s final diagnosis.

Burkitt Leukemia.

Cancer completely flipped me and my family’s life upside down. Things were changing quickly.

Brandon started chemo the day after he was diagnosed. I was at home trying to stick to my normal schedule of attending school and going to work. Things just were not the same. Brandon was sick, I was without my partner in crime.

I spent nights in Brandon’s bed crying and constantly thinking to myself, “Why did this happen to my baby brother?”

I learned through all of this, you cannot ask why. Rather than spending your time asking why you could be doing so many other things. It is not good to look back on things or to spend time asking questions that will never be answered. Instead, you could be spending time with loved ones. You can help others and you can stay busy.

I have had family friends and friends of friends get diagnosed with cancer. You hear about it all of the time. You see it on Facebook or on the news. You hear about it from friends or coworkers. Never in a million years, do you think that it could happen to you.

Cancer hit my family. It took its toll on us, and went on its way because….

On March 31st of 2017, Brandon was still receiving chemo, but his scans began to come back clear.

On May 24th of 2017, Brandon received his last round of chemo!

On June 14th of 2017, we got the official results that my little brother KICKED CANCER’S ASS.

When my little brother got sick, everything changed. The way I looked at life. The way I thought about cancer. The relationships I had in my life.

I stopped holding grudges.

I stopped holding onto toxic people.

I stopped taking things for granted.

I started letting loose more.

I started loving stronger.

I started caring about others more.

I started forming real, long-lasting relationships.

When Brandon was sick, my life changed, and at the time being I was negative and could not figure out why any of this was happening to my family and I. Now, I realize that sometimes you just have to wait it out.

There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Things WILL and ARE going to get better.

Time heals all.