Glass Daffodils...

hope

I was inspired to write this post after watching a new TV series called 'True Stories'. It's about ordinary Australians who are going through a tragic experience in life be it battling a terminal illness or facing criminal charges or surviving suicide. This program aims to convey the fact that true inspirations don't always come from your favorite sports star or celebrity. It's not always glitter and glamour that teach us what true success is and inspirations are. It can come from someone you least expect it from such as your neighbor or your colleague who may have gone through an amazing experience in life. This post is primarily about people who are terminally ill and hence a dedication to those brave souls.

The first episode showed the story of a beautiful 29yr old young woman who was struck with breast cancer at the age of 25. She had a wonderful husband and 2 very young kids. She told her story with great strength starting from how she found out that she had it, what her initial reaction was, how she went ahead day to day with her life, how she put on a brave smile through treatment and how her doctor one day told her that she had only 6months to live. She did not sit in a corner and cry the whole day. Instead she packed her bags and went to London, her dream vacation that she so wanted to go on with her husband and kids. That was just one dream she fulfilled. There were many other dreams, like wanting to see her son go to kindy next year, wanting to live up until her 30th bday in June 2005, wanting to see her kids grow up and getting married....but even that was too much to ask for in the given time span. In June this year she achieved one milestone - she turned 30 and yes she lived up to it. Two weeks later she died.

Yes folks that's how cruel and unfair life can get. And fighting Cancer isn't an easy mission especially when the Cancer has progressed to a later-stage and even worse if you are young and with alot of responsibilities. On Christmas day 2003, I decided to visit the Calvary hospice in Sydney - that's where they transfer those Cancer patients who's time to cross over is in the very near future. Another 2 friends and I went in there with special permission and as a Christmas mission. We took them little gifts and just wanted to spend some time with these people who were preparing for their deaths. When I walked in to the first room itself I was in tears as it was a 15yr old boy who had face cancer. He was virtually deteriorating in front of our eyes and his mum was keeping him company. He had an amazing sense of humor and kept cracking jokes to make us all laugh. I call that incredible grace under pressure - a positive outlook to life even at the jaws of death. He had no dreams of a fancy car, parties or studying to be someone, he just wanted to live for his mother - yes that's all he wanted. 2 months later we were informed that he passed on.

Most people touched by Cancer are preparing themselves for death in one way or the other...and the people I visited were just resting at the hospice until Joe Black appeared. What a horrible situation yet an inspiring lesson for us. We can't really be in their shoes but we can try and draw something from the demons they face up until death. Imagine watching your life fade away and unable to be in control of it, when the rest of the world is having a ball. It must be really hard to smile but they still do. Life isn't really about waking up daily and going to work or study. Cancer is the number one killer in Australia and it's very real. Those touched by Cancer were once like us....now they have become glass blooms...extremely fragile yet powerful a radiance to the spirit .