Something traumatic occurred, and you were so close to losing your life. Whether on the battlefield, in the hospital, or even before birth, your breaths were at one point limited, and it was hard to tell if you would come through.

Yet here you are.

I think often of that moment, the moment where no one knew if you would make it. No one knew what kind of strength you had inside. You powered through, overcame the odds, and here you stand with us today. No matter if what happened was called to be terminal, you were on the edge, and you stayed with us. It's scary to think about, no matter what the odds were of survival. As soon as the chance of death reaches near the quarter mark, people get frightened. I realize that I too, was frightened.

I think what my life would be like without you. How would my personality, and my interests be different? Who would I find my friends with? Would I be at the same university studying under the same degree program? Would I be into the same music or fashion style or even color?

It's amazing how one person can shape so much of your life. How they shaped how you handle life and its obstacles. How you approach people. How you handle love and loss. You don't realize the kind of impact they made until they are nearing the end. You learn not to take who they were and what they meant to you for granted. You enjoy their presence, their quirks, and their flaws much more. The petty fights of the past or present don't linger as long. Nothing matters, except making good memories with the people you love.

Yes, you are still here, but the fact that you almost left is enough to make any person change their outlook.

Whether you were in a car accident, were wounded in war, battled cancer, or even got caught in an umbilical cord, and whether you remember clearly what happened or not, something tragic almost took you from us. I hope you know how much you mean to me, and how much I would have rather been in your place of suffering, as opposed to you suffering. I hope you know how much of an impact you made on my life. I would be a completely different person had you not survived.

I'm glad you're still here, now please, don't scare me like that again.