I am not a fan of people that are happy all the time. Personally, I'm not an exceptionally optimistic person; therefore, I do not appreciate being surrounded by such types. Frankly, I can't fathom how someone could be so happy all the time. It's not normal.
However, there is someone I know that displays such characteristics, and I love her to death. I have a friend. Her name is Alex. We met early in our high school careers, but at the end of junior year, our friendship changed. We both attended a retreat together, and we got to know each other a little better. We didn't become best friends, but she was reliable and I loved her for it. Through the rest of junior year and senior year, we met once a week, midway through the week, on Wednesdays just to check in and make sure our lives were going okay. Now, Alex is a strong person. She is fiercely loyal, has a strong faith, and has an optimistic outlook on life. Alex's favorite thing to do is smile and make other people smile too.
I've never met someone like her, even to this day. She's kind of like the real life equivalent of Meredith Grey. Even before Alex started high school, her mom couldn't remember to pick her up. It eventually led to her mom not even being able to recognize her. Her brother was away at college already and her dad had his own medical issues. In other words, Alex was strong. Can you even imagine your own mother not recognizing you? I can't.
After high school, college was a little relief for my friend Alex. Of course, we didn't keep in touch all that well. And honestly, I haven't seen her since graduation. Sure, facebook always helps relationships, but we never had an extremely strong one to begin with. Nonetheless, a little e-mail here and there kept both of us somewhat up-to-date.
The most recent e-mail I've seen about Alex was in November. She was studying in DC for the semester, and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. She had a tumor. All the DC doctors said it was benine. A few weeks after surgery, she came home and a follow-up appointment revealed that the tumor was malignant. Alex has ovarian cancer. She is undergoing 7 weeks of intensive chemotherapy. She had chemo through Christmas, her birthday, and New Year. She cannot return to school this semester. Yet, she still remains with a smile and keeps in touch through chemo, and still asks me about my personal life and if there's anything she can do to help.
Alex is my inspiration. When she told me she had cancer, she did not know that I was diagnosed with the same tumors- the same cancer. Over the summer, when I was going through my radiation, I was angry, frustrated, and frightened. Alex is kicking cancer's butt with a smile on her face. She's already suffered so much and had so many life experiences that some of us will never have to deal with ever in our lives. Her mother is now in a nursing home, and Alex hasn't seen her in a good 6 months. And yet, she's kicking cancer's butt with a smile on her face. She is still fiercely loyal, strong in her faith, and still has an optimistic outlook on life. She gives new meaning to the phrase 'what does not kill me makes me stronger.'
But I can't help but wonder, why do bad things happen to such good people?
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