Sarah, let me start off by saying that I
am very sorry for all of this tragedy in
your life; I'm sure that it hasn't been
easy at all to cope with. I'm not sure
if I can help or not, because sometimes
I have trouble expressing my thoughts,
but I'll give it a shot.
I'm just going to tell you one thing
before I start.
It isn't going to be easy. It's going to
be hard. My dad fought a tragic two year
battle with lung cancer, which ended on
December 17th, 2008, where he passed
away in our home. It was the saddest
thing I ever have experienced, I am not
afraid to tell you that. It started out
in his lung, then through chemo and
radiation, they shrank it down to where
they couldn't even find it anymore. Then
it moved to his brain, where surgery
supposedly got rid of a large tumor. But
finally it spread to his back cavities,
and there was nothing we could do but
wait it out.
However, through my family, we grew from
the experience. When he died, we didn't
know what to do. We didn't talk about it
as a family, and pretty much figured
that we could fight this thing by
ourselves. We were wrong.
All it takes to get through something
like this is communication. I'm sure
that's why you posted this message;
because you needed someone to talk to.
Your friends and family are the biggest
fanclub/support group that I can
imagine; they will see you through
things like this until the end. That's
what they're for.
I'm not coming on to tell you some
magical cure that will make you feel
better; it doesn't work like that. One
of the biggest things that I can think
of is to stay optimistic. I'm doing a
speech right now competitively on what
optimism is to me. I understand that
staying optimistic is really hard at a
time like this.
But it is extremely essential. No one
deserves to die from cancer; it is a
heartwrenching process that is extremely
saddening. But you need to look at the
positive side of things. When my dad
died, I couldn't think of anything good
that is coming out of it. But you need
to look back at that person's life, and
realize the good work that they have done.
In my case, it's seeing how proud he was
of myself and my brothers, it's knowing
that at least for me, he isn't gone. His
character, likeness, and ideals will
live on forever and ever, as long as you
don't forget about them. Look at all of
the lives that that person has touched,
and all of the lives that they will
continue to touch as long as you share
your story.
I could keep writing for hours, but I
will leave you with this one thought,
these two words that have, with the help
of my friends and family, gotten my
through my journey; Stay Optimistic.
If you ever want to talk, don't hesitate
to IM me or post up a message on here or
email me or whatever you want to. I am
really dedicated to trying to help you.
I'm not sure if any of this is making
sense to you, let alone helping you out
somehow, but if it is, let me know and I
will gladly talk to you more. Below are
my email and my AOL Instant Messenger
names if you have either of them. I also
have facebook and myspace, a phone for
texting/calling-if you want to talk, let
me know and I will do my best.
God bless you in your times of tragedy
and see you through them,
Tanner Boyle |
