The Pink Ribbon
Everywhere you look nowadays you see the signs of women surviving cancer. It is a beautiful thing. Nineteen years ago, my grandmother was fighting a hard battle against her own cancer. We didn't have the same kind of medicine or technology that we do now. She would take herself to the cancer treatment center, get chemotherapy, and stop by Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the way home. She would enter with a smile on her face. She asked me about my studies and my life, and what was going on with me.
Towards the end of her treatment, she took me shopping for my prom dress. Her statement was always the same "If the Lord is willing and the creek don't rise, I'll be around to see you." I always thought it was one of those funny Southern sayings, but it made me smile nevertheless. I got the most beautiful white dress with sequins I had ever seen. I felt like a princess. A week later she took me to get a pedicure and we stopped and got a chili dog and some Orange Julius fruit drinks. I didn't know she wasn't supposed to have that...she hid her nausea well. We made it to spring break, and my grandmother was worse than before, but she hid it so well. I knew she didn't feel good, but I thought everything was going to be fine. She was always so full of hope, smiles and love. Easter was the last time I got to see her as she passed away the next day.
The day of my prom was one of the most beautiful days ever. I wore my white dress and my grandfather came over to take pictures. I knew we were all grieving, but I also knew that my grandmother was there with me in spirit, and she would not have wanted me to be sad. Even as I write this, I feel a sense of pride in all she did. She truly was inspirational in her fight with the disease and she never let it stop her from doing what she wanted to do. She is the woman I see when I look at the pink ribbons. She will always be my inspiration as I go through my own struggles in life.
