Share your pain, share your joy, and especially share your love.

By guest blogger Natasha Raju

Terry Williams once said, “An individual doesn’t get cancer, a family does.” Two years ago, my mother lost her battle to breast cancer. She had been fighting against it for a year, and had successfully overcome it the first time she was diagnosed. However, seven months later she received news that the cancer had come back and spread throughout her entire body.

I was starting my sophomore year in college, stressing over midterms and trying to stay brave when I visited my mother. Looking back, I wonder why I even thought about choosing one over the other.

There are two things I learned from my mother’s battle: first, is that things always happen for a reason. In some twisted way of fate, there is a reason why my mother passed away and I am still searching for it. However, I do know that the person I am today is because of my experience with cancer. I learned to be stronger and know that there are things in this world that we have to overcome. There are people going through things beyond our imagination, and we should do what we can to make a difference for those in need.

The second is to always, always, live in the moment, and cherish the people you are with and appreciate them. So many times we take for granted the smallest gesture, whether it be borrowing sugar from your neighbor or sharing an umbrella with a friend in the rain. There are times I take it upon myself to make sure I tell at least one person everyday, “Hey, you are incredible! Thank you for being a part of my life.” I know it might sound silly, but you would be amazed at the response you get. Not only do you feel better, but you never know how much that small gesture means to someone else.

To say that I am still strong in my faith and have no qualms with my ordeal would be a lie. But, I do know that one day I will understand why things happened the way they did. For now, I will share the knowledge that life is short and we cannot live with regrets. There are people in our lives that don’t know how much we appreciate them, and we should let them know. Don’t wait for something tragic to happen in order to realize this. Share your joy, share your pain, and especially share your love.