My breath: short. My emotions: endless. My tears: welding.
I can’t hold it in anymore; I begin to softly sob.
“I have cancer,” she said. “I was diagnosed about two months ago. The doctors say I have one month to live.”
I can’t say how I feel so we cried together and then we laughed. “Remember the time…?” she started.
Exactly one year ago, I helped Agnes and her mother Rosy recover their lifestyle. I took out rotted floor boards and replaced them with sturdy new ones. I washed the grit and grime from their trailer. I hung gutters and fixed the wheel chair ramp. The work was not only about volunteering, but it was also about building relationships, learning about different walks of life, and appreciating the power of community togetherness.
Agnes was a home owner who I grew to know and love. Each day as I worked on a specific project, Agnes worked alongside me. I insisted on completing the work myself, but she refused to sit and watch.
During seven hours of daily work, we talked about her childhood, her kids, my family, my hopes, my dreams, and who I wanted to be. Her life amazed me. She went through so much tragedy, yet she had so much spirit. She loved life and everything it had to offer.
Agnes lived with her mom and her sister in a small trailer home. I asked her about the way she lived and she said, “I have a roof over my head, a family who loves me, and food to fill my belly. What else do I need?”
Inspired by Agnes’s spirit, I grew into a stronger human, contributing my knowledge and understanding of my faith to youth, volunteering for various service projects, and becoming a leader in my school community.
Not only has Agnes inspired me to help those in need, but she has inspired me to become a morally strong person as well. I learned from Agnes’s enthusiasm for life, her positive outlook for the future, and her strong morals; now, the attributes Agnes has are the ones I can contribute to your university.