Changed Forever


Sitting there at Christmas, unwrapping gifts, seeing his face, and hearing his jokes, I never knew that it would be the last holiday we spent together. The importance of life became so much more apparent to me when my uncle passed away. His smiles and stupid jokes always made me laugh. I am glad that our last day together was unforgettable. Everything that has happened has changed me. The experience has made me a different person. I have learned to treasure the little moments.

Before my uncle’s death, I took him and everyone else I love for granted. This is mostly because I never knew what it was like to lose someone. People around me I know have died, but not people I was very close with. We always laughed at the sayings he would come up with at the most perfect moments. We always had so much fun together until I got the phone call.

Once I heard the bad news that my uncle had a heartattack, I was in panic. The doctors had him on many machines in the hospital while he was fighting for his life. We went to visit him, but the doctors wouldn’t let us in because he was intensive care and only immediate family could enter. I never got to say my last goodbye’s. We stayed for a few hours with my aunt and cousins. When we left we took my little second cousins with us. For the next few days we received many phone calls on his condition. Finally, we got the news that he needed a heart transplant. They replaced some of his vessels but it was too late. He flatlined June 3rd, 2012. I remember thinking that it couldn’t possibly be real. I knew he wasn’t doing well but I never expected he would die.

Afterwards was just a lot of crying and sinking into realization of what had happened. My second cousins were devastated that their grandpa, of only age sixty, had died. The funeral was very well organized and put together. The pictures and memories released some of the tension. Seeing him lay there, so lifeless, brought tears to my eyes. The dark, cherry wood casket was carried by my dad and older cousins. This has taught me that life is precious and can be ripped right out of our hands.

I now see the world through a new set of eyes. I see that we should cherish every moment. People say, “ you don't know what you have until it’s gone,” unfortunately, I know the meaning of this now. Don’t blink, life could be over in a moment. I have changed from before his death, until after. I have learned to be strong, and I have learned to make every second count. Don't take friends, or especially family, for granted because they could be gone in a matter of days or even seconds.