I’m celebrating!

It’s the 17^th year of my life after Cancer today! I praise God! He has blessed me with second lease in life with a clean bill of health. There are 1,001 reasons to be grateful for and there won’t be enough words to equate the joy and contentment that’s in my heart right now. God’s blessings are indeed endless. We only have to keep the faith!

Read the related story on my last year's post here,

God has Purpose for Everything

Charina was the daughter of our neighbor/friend. She was a typical young lady, vibrant, energetic and beautiful. At 21, she had freed herself from books and school and started to face the world full of dreams and hopes. Like any other fresh college graduates, she was starry eyed and excited on her very first job in a private office. However, fate seemed to be hostile on her. One morning when she was preparing for work, she noticed numbness in her limbs. She could no longer hold something for more than a minute. Curious with number of other symptoms, they saw a doctor. The mom was expecting that she would be prescribed an anti-biotic medicine or something similar, but was shocked by the doctor’s diagnosis. C’s kidneys were no longer functioning. They have shrunk like raisin. Apparently, C was strong willed to fight the odds. She didn’t give up, let alone be overwhelmed by all the complexities of the severity of her illness. She underwent peritoneal dialysis daily and lately switched to twice a week hemodialysis. The last time I saw C was in a jeepney going home. She appeared to be cheerful despite her state of health, still in control, so to say.

However, cheerfulness slowly slipped away. C was losing her two year battle with the disease. And the other day, I got the heartbreaking news. She has passed away. The jolly girl who’s just beginning her journey on the real world was brought to a halt by kidney malfunction. All the dreams and hopes are now gone with her. Last night we bade our last respect to C. I chose to view her coffin from afar instead of looking at her lying inside. By that, only her lively image would remain in my mind.

I was thinking …life is unfair sometimes. For a young girl full of dreams and hopes, how could she be stopped from all the pleasures she’s just about to meet and enjoy? Nonetheless, I do believe that God has plans for all of us in this chaotic but beautiful world. As one verse in the bible goes… “you can make many plans but it is God’s purpose that prevails.”

Sending our heartfelt condolences to Charina's family.