I woke up to a loud scream from my mom. Alarmed I quickly looked to my right at my black alarm clock that said  6:45 am and jumped out of my bed. My striped pink Victoria secret pjs shifted while my sister and I met at our jack and Jill bedrooms and ran down the hallway. Shortly after we saw my mom and my aunt having a conversation.I saw the small tears forming in my mom's glossy eyes as she asked my aunt a few simple questions. "Where are you and who am I" she asked her with worry in her voice. “You are the nice lady that helps me” responded my aunt. At that very instance we all knew my aunt was having a seizure. My sister and I frantically ran to the nearest phone and dialed 911. In the blink of an eye paramedics rushed upstairs to put my aunt onto a stretcher.

Since I was a young kid my aunt had always been sick. Having constant seizures,strokes,and being in the hospital for months. Although none of this was new it never got easier. Since she was sick she lived at my house and my mom soon became her caretaker. From a young age I was extremely close with my aunt. She was there when I took my first steps, always supported me no matter what, and continually reminded me to be happy regardless of what you're going through. Since we were so close I was use to going to hospital and being in that atmosphere. Weeks soon became months and she was still in the hospital.

Summer had come and I spent most of my time at the hospital visiting my aunt with my mother instead of playing in the cool breezy air like most kids.Later she got transmitted to intensive care and I started to realize the seriousness of everything that was going on. We stayed for months waiting and waiting for her to wake up and recover.She had a long tube down her throat that didn't allow her to talk and most days she couldn't form words regardless.There were days I would cry while I stayed in the cold tiny waiting room while my mom went to be with my aunt. It became too much for me to be around her and see her happy spirit muted. She was always joyful,happy,and full of life although her struggles had been through the worst. Her smile had a certain sparkle that could make a bad day transform into the best day in a quick second. Although her struggles had been the worst she still found some happiness through the pain.

   One day my mom told me to go to her hospital room and see her. I was afraid of seeing her, the life had left her eyes and I was afraid I would cry when I needed most to be strong for her and my mother. I peeked into the cold hospital room to see her lying still on the bed. The white sheets spread across her body like a floating cloud. I slipped on a pair of dark blue gloves and softly touched her hand. Although I knew she wasn’t responsive and hadn't been for days, I still wanted to hold her hand. I squeezed it praying and wishing a miracle would happen and she squeeze back. One squeeze….nothing two squeezes and my wish came true. I felt two soft squeezes back. My heart skipped a beat, she had not been responsive for days but had squeezed my hand back. A few weeks later she was speaking the tube had been removed and the smile had reappeared. My aunt taught me a lot of important lessons throughout my seventeen years of life. To always hold my head high, to always “think pink” weather that meant wearing pink lipstick or nail polish and to always find the positive in the worst of situations. No matter what your going through there's always someone going through something worse. You have to learn to make the best out of everything life throws your way. Even if your situation isn't how you hoped it to be you still should remain grateful for what you do have.