My cousin Marie had passed from NON SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER. She was my oldest female cousin, and I loved her dearly.
Yesterday, we were to celebrate her life with her funeral. Marie planned out her funeral, picked out her casket, and had arranged plans when she was diagnosed, about six years ago. At that time, she told me she would be lucky to get 2 years of life--well she crushed that goal! Marie was a nurse (and worked oncology for a long time). When I was sick with APL, Marie had talked to me on the phone and even sent in her best friend, Robin, to come check on me (Robin was also a nurse who worked in the same hospital I was being treated). Marie was someone the family thought was a bit snobby at times, when really, she wasn't snobby at all. She was caring, concerned, and she had goals and acted on her wishes and dreams. That was something most of our family didn't have...goals that they thought they could work towards or dreams. I was a bit like Marie in that I was also the oldest of my siblings, and if I want to do something, I go and do it. Guess what-- it was a somber, sad, and tense funeral and I felt ridiculously uncomfortable.
