If I could change anything in the world, I would choose to end cancer. Cancer is a big problem in our world. In 2012, 8.2 million people died of cancer throughout the world. That's a lot. What should we do about it? Well, we can raise money for cancer cure research, we can volunteer at fundraisers, we can work as volunteers in hospitals and care centers, and much more. Those are just a few everyday things that almost everyone can do. I know that this may not seem like a lot, but every minute counts. Please consider helping people who have cancer and helping to find the cure. Let's all join together to cure cancer! You might be wondering why I'm so passionate about finding the cure. Well, three years ago, my cousin Bryce was a happy 18 month old little boy. Suddenly, he became very sick. He developed a malignant rhabdoid tumor in his stomach. They rushed down to Children's hospital in St. Paul. They found out that the tumor was cancerous. While he was in treatment, we didn't get to visit him at all because no children were allowed except siblings. We worried about him every day. We prayed to St. Peregrine almost everyday. He is the patron saint of cancer patients. The only time I saw Bryce after he was diagnosed was at thanksgiving. He cried a lot of the time and had to take lots of medicines. He and my Aunt (his mom) looked so tired. I remember my grandma and grandpa coming to our house to stay with us. My aunt would post updates on how he was doing. I remember my Grandma starting to cry as she read it. I had to read the rest. My Mom and Dad went to the hospital because my little sister Agnes was going to be born. She was born on January 2nd 2015. We were all so happy to get to meet her, while at the same time, very sad and worried about Bryce. He wasn't doing very well. By this point, he had lost all of his hair and he was sleeping more than he was awake. He didn't talk or move all day. When my little sister Agnes was born, she got to meet him right before he died. He woke up when she came in and put his little hand on her head. It looked like he was blessing her. He died holding his favorite cow figure in his hand on January 9th 2015. I remember it being really hard for the whole family. I was 9 years old. At his wake and funeral, seeing his parents cry was hard. I remember my uncle (Bryce's dad) picking me up and hugging me as we both cried together. Bryce's older sister Klare was only 5 years old when he died. She didn't know that he was gone forever. I still remember teaching him how to walk by the lake at our cabin. Thinking about how his little brother Micah didn't even get to meet him and how every time one of her kids gets sick even with a cold, my aunt always worries about cancer. Just recently, we went to a fundraiser 5K for childhood cancer cure research. Me and my siblings and Klare did a dance to fight song for Bryce. The audience was amazed. Every day, I wear my necklace with a picture of Bryce on it in remembrance of him. This is why I'm so passionate about finding the cure for cancer. Especially childhood cancer. Let's all join together to cure cancer! This is the picture of Bryce that is on my necklace. This is right before he was diagnosed with cancer. Bryce blessing Agnes
3 Comments
Rosie Johnson
10/14/2017 03:54:30 am
Ava,
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Mrs Olson
10/14/2017 08:32:01 pm
Wow, Ava! What a beautifully passionate appeal! I hope that your generation will finally find the cure.
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Abbey Trana
10/15/2017 04:56:27 am
I'm so proud of you Ava. This was absolutely touching and brought me to tears. Thank you for sharing this with us. Your writing is beautiful!
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