i thought my aunt would live until at least 100.
she ran and biked and ate healthy.
she did not smoke or drink.
but sometimes life has other plans for people.
we can only do so much to maintain good health.
we are a product of our environment and our genetic code.
in the past 6 years I've lost so many people.
first my aunt Joyce.
and then my grandma Drop.
when my dad died a few years ago,
I thought perhaps life would let up a little.
thought I had my fair share of bad news.
i got into medical school - that was a good thing.
i spent last summer traveling in Europe.
though it's an everyday struggle, school is going pretty well.
but i feel like the bad still outweighs the good,
for when I got a call from my aunt Ritz last week,
I knew there was another blow coming.
i didn't know that people could die from anemia.
somehow her body just started destroying her bone marrow.
and the only therapy,
is poison.
the treatment kills the immune system.
and a fatal infection spread throughout her body,
took the last bit of life straight out of her, though she was a fighter.
we had become very close in the past few years.
when my father passed away,
she nurtured me and took me as her own.
she was supportive and caring,
thoughtful and giving,
generous and understanding.
this story does not end in optimism for the future.
for we all know that our fates are sealed.
this story ends with the request that maybe death
will ease up a bit on my family.
i'm not sure I can take any more bad news right now.
