Cancer( a horrible word)

My grandfather was always there. The night I was born at the hospital, crying my first cries and opening my eyes for the first time, he was there. He held me in his arms and cradled me. He knew he loved me the first time he saw me, wrapped up in a bundle in little booties and caps.1

My grandfather loved to sing. Ever since I was a year old, he sang to me. Lullabies, church choir songs, old songs. He would teach me the notes and keys and by the time I was three, I knew many of the simple songs he always loved to sing. I loved going to my grandfather's house, because I got to see him, always giving me hugs and singing those wonderful songs to me. He could also tell wonderful stories, of his childhood, of his career. He would keep me fascinated for hours with his tales.2

When I started kindergarten, every day after school, I would go to my grandfather's house. He would sing to me, entertain me, and play various games with me, such as checkers and card games. We even made up a school game, where we set up little desks and chalkboards and he was the teacher.3

My grandfather knew hundreds, maybe even thousands of songs. There was one particular song he sang many times however. It was called You Raise Me Up. He always sang it to me, telling me how much he loved me and by the time I was tweleve years old, I knew all the lyrics to the song. Whenever I went on a trip far away from home and I couldn't see my grandfather, I thought of that song and it cheered me up, reminding me of him.4

When I was thirteen years old, in November of 2007, my grandfather went to the doctor for a checkup. I thought nothing of it; it was just a regular appointment. But, a couple weeks later, we found out something horrible. The doctors had found a tumor in his pancreas. I couldn't cry when I found out. I was just so horribly shocked and so saddened, I just couldn't.5

In December, my grandfather had a major surgery to remove the tumor. He was in recovery for a long time and I barely got to see him. I peeked inside the hospital room occasionally and sat down to chat, even though he could barely speak. We talked about normal things usually, school, TV broadcasts, etc. But, one day, death came up in the conversation.6

He said to me meekly,7

" Lily, if something ever happens to me, remember me by laughter, not tears."8

I was about to cry right there in the hospital room, but again, I couldn't. I didn't want to show my grandfather my sadness.9

As the months passed, we found out good news and bad news about my grandfather's progress. The good news was that the surgery had been successful and the entire tumor had been removed. The bad news was that in since of my grandfather's old age, the surgery had weakened him.10

So, in February, they sent my grandfather to a rehabilition center for physical therapy in hopes of strengthening him. I hated going to the center. My grandfather was basically dying right there in the place and the people were doing little about it. He looked so weak, so distraught, he looked nothing like the grandfather I used to sing with and play games with.11

By early March, we knew my grandfather wasn't going to make it much longer. Both of his kindeys had failed and he couldn't eat anything without throwing it up.12

The day my grandfather died was a day I will never forget. March 17, 2008. He died at 8 that morning, in the rehabilitation center. I was at school when he passed, but I learned the news when I got home that day. Still, I couldn't cry. Of course, I was saddened out of my mind, but for some odd reason I still couldn't shed a tear.13

At his funeral, a few days later, my mom made a speech about my grandfather. All the wonderful things he had accomplished in his life and how sweet he was to me and how much he loved me. After the speech, a radio was clicked on to the song " You Raise Me Up." Finally, after so many months, I let loose my tears. The music filled the room and I thought of all the wonderful memories my grandfather had given me. All the lessons he had taught me, the most important one being how to love.14

THE END

A contest entry

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Comments

1 - 15 of 15

  • seasonsoflove
    September 22

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    Wow. Very sad, very touching.

    Plot: 4
    Language: 3
    Theme: 5
    Brownie points: 4 (I'm seriously fighting tears in the middle of the public library!!)

    Total: 16

    Great work here. The sadness echos through the words. Cancer is one of the hardest things for a family to handle. You portrayed this quite well. Keep up the good work, and thank you so much for entering!!


  • ELFgirl12
    September 4

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    That was beautifully written. I loved the detail you put into that, yet, it wasn't so much that the story was unnecessarily long. Great job! Thanks so much for entering my contest, and good luck!


  • Clary--Selene--Tayy gold member
    August 27

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    waaah!!!
    That was so sad, I am honestly sitting here with tears in my eyes. I think this is a PERFECT story for the finalists.
    Simply Amazing


  • therenaissancegirl gold member
    August 20

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    Make Me Cry (Contest Comment)

    Notes:
    In paragraph 4, I think you could leave the first sentence as just, "My grandfather knew hundreds, maybe even thousands of songs." The "of course" kind of threw me off.

    In paragraph 5, the comma after "I thought nothing of it" should be a semicolon.

    I love this:
    " Lily, if something ever happens to me, remember me by laughter, not tears."

    Paragraph 11: "...the people we doing little about it." -- were?

    Very sad and inspiring. If this was based on your personal experiences, I offer my condolences to you. A good write; good luck in my contest!


  • reilly500
    June 9
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    Wow. Simply wow.

    MY grampa ded when i was liitle and this is a touching piece


  • Prodigious.Mirth
    May 30

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    Another heart wrenching piece. The words your grandfather said just brought a whole new bed of emotions to life... Remember me for the laughter. I think everyone wants to be remembers for the good times and the happiness, and as we grow up we see things come to light. But I could feel this and connect with this and it made me so sad to think of your loss- thus is the painful truth of life. One born, one die... I just hate the horrible ways in which our bodies and nature inflict upon such a tragedy and painful loss.

    Thank you for sharing with us
    I hope people read this and take it into consideration how much courage it took to write something like this.
    I applaud you.
    It is certainly not an easy subject to broach.

    Blair <3


  • gezza gold member
    April 5

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    inspiring

    A simple, honest and inspiring work, and very well written. I have little to say but good things, as it clearly comes from the heart. I hope, when I die, I leave people behind you remember and love me, as much as you do your grandfather.

    cheers

    Gez


  • Maggie Kay
    March 7
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    great story.
    sad but excelent!
    thanks so much for entering


  • Andy Stephenson gold member
    December 10, 2008
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    Hi!

    This story is being considered for inclusion in a Storywrite Anthology. If you would like this story to be included in the book, please apply to this group:

    http://storywrite.com/group/info/Storywrite%20Anthology%20Volume%20One?stay=1

    Thanks,

    Andy

  • Andy Stephenson gold member
    November 22, 2008

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    Very Good!

    Is your mother a member of Storywrite?

    This is a very moving and touching story. It nearly moved me to tears. That doesn't happen often. This is one of the best stories I've read. You are quite a writer.

    Andy


  • NinjaMegami
    November 17, 2008

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    OMG, this is sooo heartbreaking, it reminds me of my grandmother who died of Alzheimer's.... she didn't remember any of my family members when she passed... including me. It was so sad...good read!


  • neutraltint
    November 15, 2008

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    This is one of the saddest stories I have ever read. You are the bravest person to make it through without sheading a tear! I still have all my grandparents in the world and for that I am thankful, but they are getting older by day and I wonder how long it will be until they pass away. I had my cousin pass away and I cried my heart out when my parents told me. I was devistated that I couldn't see him anymore. It broke my heart. This story really made me tear up and think about how greatful it is to have grandparents in the world and to cherish them while they last. Thank you for writing this story so I could see a different side of the world and now I will know to keep my grandparents close-while I can. Thank you for this masterpiece.

    Elizabeth


  • KiwiGurl
    November 14, 2008

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    I know how you feel, read "My hero" Its a story of mine about my grandmother who was very close to me. She used to sing to me too. THat song, did it go...

    You raise me up on eagles wings
    bear me on the cross to die
    make me to shine like the sun
    and hold me, hold me in the arms, (Thats all I remember)

    If It was, thats incredible, that was my grandmas favorite song! Im sorry about your grandfather, and if you need anyone to talk to about it, talk to me!

  • cheetahgal
    November 3, 2008

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    I loved this piece! My grandfather also sang to me and spoke such words of wisdom and words to live by. I enjoyed your word choice, mood, setting description, and tone throughout this piece. Good job and good luck in my contest!

    -Chee


  • callthexylophone
    November 3, 2008
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    This was really, really beautiful. I'm sorry for your loss, he must have been really great.

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