In just a span of a week, I have to deal with two deaths and one death anniversary.

Today, I say goodbye to Alison. Her son was Kaitlin’s preschool classmate. Life can be really cruel and unpredictable, but she chose to face it positively even when the odds were against her. She was so helpful and sweet when I was at a loss of what to expect with dad. I reached out to her for information on brain radiation and she shared her experience with me. While I was never close to her, it felt nice to have someone out there who understood the uneasiness with cancer.

When Karen, a mutual friend, told me that things weren’t looking good with Alison. Based on what I had gone through with dad, I knew it wouldn’t be long. You know, deep down we all knew that time was running out for Alison, the day we knew she was diagnosed with cancer. Yet, we pushed the dark thoughts far away. (At least I felt this way.) Alison was the bravest soul who took her diagnosis with all the positivity in the world. She took every treatment in stride. With the patient being so positive like that, who are we, the 旁观者 to feel negative about it?

I don’t know how much time God gave her. Maybe more than two years? (Dad had slightly less than the average 18 months that the doctor mentioned.) 说长也不长，说短也不短。*sigh*

Goodbye, Alison. I will always remember the smile on your face even as you faced eventual death. You were the bravest soul.