Armando

Maria Jose By Mariana At age six, a child generally learns how to skip-count by fives, write simple sentences, enjoy stories such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Little Red Riding Hood,” as well as attend enjoyable birthday parties. This was not the case of six-year old Maria Jose, my cousin, who was diagnosed with Leukemia. Maria Jose was forced to leave her family, friends, and Honduras behind in search for a better cancer treatment in the United States. She was a bright student and, although young, she always demonstrated maturity beyond her age. Living with Leukemia never brought about major setbacks; she never lost her grace, her will to pursue her dreams, or her eagerness to learn. Even after weekly and sometimes daily treatments that would make her feel nauseous, she did not fall behind in school or stop reading her favorite books such as those of the “The Magic Tree House Collection”, a series of books well above a six-year-old’s reading level. Maria Jose continued to attend birthday parties; it was pretty obvious that she did not have any trouble making new friends. After a year of treatment, Maria Jose appeared to have overcome cancer and was able to triumphantly return to Honduras. She went back to school and was on track with the rest of her classmates since she had dedicated a lot of time and effort to her education while on treatment. After being in remission for over two years, Maria Jose relapsed again in October 2002 and had to return to the United States to continue her fight against cancer. The doctor confirmed what my family feared the most- Maria Jose’s cancer had spread. On May 17, 2003, my aunt recognized she wasn’t getting any better and thought it was best to let her know about her sickness rather than having her die with that fear or uncertainty of what was going to be of us who stayed here on Earth. My aunt decided it was time and said, “Maria, sometimes God makes decisions we do not always agree with and your time here is complete. He may take you away from us. You have to accept His decision wholeheartedly.” My aunt remembers that Maria Jose took things with great serenity but what struck her the most was a tear running down her cheek and saying, “But it will not be today, right?” and “Why don’t you come with me? I do not want to be alone.” My aunt felt her blood warm up and was speechless. She could not think of anything else to say, but a story she had never mentioned. “Maria, a year and a half after you were born I lost a baby; I never knew whether it would be a boy or a girl. You have a younger brother or sister up in heaven.” Maria’s face lit up. “Mama why didn’t you tell me this before?” Maria joyfully said, “I will keep my older brother or sister company, that way he or she does not feel lonely.” My aunt was surprised to see how graciously she understood what she was trying to explain and was pleased to know her daughter understood. From that day on she longed to meet her younger brother or sister. On a Saturday morning, at 8:55am, my beloved cousin passed away while my aunt, uncle, and my cousin Gaby were praying the Rosary. Losing a sibling is a hard encounter, especially for those who were close with each other. However, we can prepare for whatever God has planned for our lives. Whenever we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we can think about how and what we will undergo in the future. However, we have to keep in mind that things may not turn out as smooth as we expect them to. In my case, even though my family and I were prepared for this loss, it was still an unfortunate event that we wish never would have happened. We are sure that Maria Jose joined her sister/brother in Heaven and this transmits a sense of peace and tranquility. When a loved one passes away, a tradition in my home country, Honduras, is to release black and white balloons if the loved one is an adult and colored balloons if the loved one is a child. The day of her funeral, Maria Jose’s immediate family released white balloons, while the rest of the family released pink and sky blue balloons as she was being buried. The guard who watched over my aunt’s sister-in-law’s house saw this balloon slowly descending and reaching my aunt’s backyard. As my aunt’s maid came closer to grab the balloon, now lying in the patio, it popped. My Aunt Ingrid had a response to this balloon landing in her patio, “Coincidence? No I do not believe in coincidences, I believe in God. With this manifestation, He clearly let us know that the daughter He had lent us for nine and a half years could not be in a better place next to the Father and Virgin Mary.” Code the above text based on the model on page 96 coding || Topic coding || Analytical coding ||
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