Annie Remained Strong

21st of January 2019

I got up ready to take on the day, but I had to check on one thing first. I checked a friend's profile to see how she was doing. I've been seeing reports of her not doing so well. I didn't see anything on Facebook, so I went on to check other messages. One that came was from a name I didn't recognize. I figured it was a bot trying to scam me, but something inside me told me to check it out. It was the news I was dreading to hear. Finally, I recognized the name. My friend Annie, whom I wrote about earlier, passed away after a long battle with cancer. The message was from her father. I spent a great amount of time crying before I had to go out and deal with the snow. I was still crying when I dealt with the snow. Dealing with the snow was easy. Use the snow rake to prevent ice dams which can cause damage to my roof. Shovel the sidewalks. Shovel the approach. Brush off the deck. Dig a path for the mail carrier to walk. That's easy. Dealing with the passing of a childhood friend is not. I'm still in disbelief, and I'm still crying. Even when I'm not, I am.

Growing up with Annie was a great experience. She was always the life of the party, so to say. She never let times get boring. I can't remember a time where she wasn't smiling. We had the same babysitter. We went to the same elementary school (she was a year behind me). We went to the same middle school. We went to the same high school. We even went to Iowa State University as well. Losing a friend this young that I've grown up with, a friend who helped define my childhood, a friend that always made people smile is just a hard ordeal to cope with.

When I was in the hospital after having a cardiac death in the gym, Annie took the time to come visit me after a treatment. I was so down at the time, but when she came in, a big smile slapped my face. We caught up, and I couldn't help but notice how upbeat she was. She made me want to get better. What I went through was mild compared to what she went through. I didn't feel a thing. She felt it everyday, and she kept smiling through all the pain.

One thing I've always wondered is when someone dies from cancer, other people say that they lost the battle with cancer. I disagree. Watching Annie throughout her battle with cancer, I'd say that she won. Even through the pain, she still had a positive attitude. She still had that bright smile, and everyone right now is picturing that smile of hers which is causing him or herself to smile as well. Annie never let cancer get her down. There were lots of bad times, I'm sure. I bet her family has seen her go through a lot. However, we won't remember Annie for having cancer. We will remember that smile and how great she made us feel. We are going to remember the times she made a boring time feel lively. We are going to remember the strength she had during all the bad times. ALL the bad times, not just cancer. We are going to remember her great sense of humor. Her softball friends will remember her for the great times on the diamond. Her family and friends are going to remember the laughter and love during the holidays and vacations. We will remember Annie for the greatness she spread around to anyone that she came into contact with. We remember Annie, and we can only smile. Thanks for the memories, Annie.