"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."
Tony Feller was a fellow patient at the clinic in Germany and had been living with cancer for 5 years. His wife, Crystal, had been writing his blog lately as Tony was not well enough to manage it himself. I was very sad to read this morning that Tony had died last night, peacefully and at home.
Cancer can be a devastating disease even with the best treatments. I have never met Crystal but she wrote the blog beautifully. In this entry she talks about communication with the people you love and how important it is to let them know that you love them. Also about the challenge of communicating with their very young children to help them understand what has happened. Crystal also talks about their loving relationship and good communication. She finishes with the following
"So I ask you, if today was your last day on earth, could you leave it thinking you had said what you wanted to the people that you loved? Do you tell the people important in your life that you love them? Do you hug them or kiss them everyday? Let them hear you now. Tony is still telling us today how much he loves us, only now I hear it in my heart..... "
I found Crystal's words very moving. The emphasis in the end is really on love. We need to ensure we do not wait till the end to express and experience that fully. It is wonderful that we shared some time with Tony, he was a lovely guy with a warm friendly nature. I am sure he will be missed by many.
Too many cancer sufferers still lose their lives, despite good treatment, a strong will to survive and the wonderful support of family and friends. There is no justice or fairness in who lives and who doesn't, it takes the young and the old, the good and the bad. However, cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. Many of us also survive and live full, happy and often transformed lives. That is what I continue to hope and aim for.
Linda
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