Small actions can make a big difference. Throughout my years in elementary school teachers encouraged students such as me to donate Yoplait yogurt lids in honor of a loved one who inspires in their fight with cancer. The goal was to not only to raise money for cancer but also raise awareness of the disease. The class with the most donations would have a pizza party, so I was sure to participate in hopes that my class would win.

As years passed I went to middle school and students were yet again encouraged to participate in “Relay for life”. This is a fundraising event that helps raise money and awareness of cancer by purchasing candles, play games, or simply walk around the school track. However, teachers did not really focus on discussing the causes of cancer much less what it actually is, or how it can affect you and your loved ones.

The summer before eighth grade my whole world crumbled and I felt as if the air around me was disappearing. It was a normal summer evening and my mother and I were on our way to the gym for my volleyball practice. We were discussing my upcoming tournament in Florida and the fact that my mother would not be able to attend. I was quite upset to the fact that she would not give me a reason why she would not be attending and continued to seek a reason when suddenly she said, “my dad is dying, Kari, I need to be with him!” I was in a total state of shock for my grandfather was invincible. He has always been a healthy eater, exercises every day and sees his doctor on a regular basis for yearly checkups and medical exams. In less than a year, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, tonsil cancer, and thyroid cancer. Hearing her words felt like I was drowning with no way to come up for air.

A few weeks passed and it felt like everyone in my family was walking on egg shells. Once a family of constant coming and going, we were now paralyzed by not knowing how serious or what the outcome would be regarding my grandfather’s health. He was the leader and rock of our family. Family casual relationships that were once distant had now become a constant fixture and my entire family stood together and rallied around my grandfather as the roller coaster ride left the holding gate. I had no idea what to expect much less how I could help. There were good days filled with joy and laughter and there were bad days that you are never prepared for and seeing everyone’s face having imprints where tears have fallen and where mascara has been wiped scared me. All I could think was this end? Is the one person I am closest to leaving me forever? So many unanswered questions filled my family’s minds.

My grandfather visited countless hospitals and specialists trying to find the perfect treatment to save him. He was diagnosed with three types of cancers, colon, tonsil and thyroid. The doctors took a fast approach and operated on my grandfather. They removed part of his colon, pancreas and spleen. There were several lesions on his liver that they could not remove and the surgery took a significant toil on this once healthy man. As he began his treatments, he looked worse and worse. Nurses became parsimonious and ignorant; it was as if they did not want to be there nor wanted to help my sickly grandfather. For example, one day they were taking blood to check his white and red blood cell count and the nurse squirted his blood all over his arm which ran to the floor and did not clean it up, she just left it there as if nothing matter and my grandfather was not worth cleaning it up and making him comfortable.

As months passed and he was released from the hospital and became more devoted to his church than he had been before, working countless hours in the church garden; he never missed one church service or any school function or sporting event of his five grandchildren. He became an example to the entire family as to never take the small things for granted. We started having family dinners often and each time he would say the prayer before we ate he would cry. Not an upset cry, but a cry out thanking God for each moment he has been able to cherish with us and for giving him more than he could ever ask for.

It has been almost 5 years since his diagnosis. He fights for his life every day by continuing to eat healthy, exercising and seeing his doctors regularly. Along the road to recovery he has inspired a bountiful amount of people. I am one of those people. Moments with him have made me take chances and to never take life for granted. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I believe this happened to bring our family closer than it has ever been and also for him to touch other people’s hearts and make them believe that they could overcome any obstacle God has put in their way.

Now looking back in elementary school I understand now what all the yogurt lids were for and why we would pay to play games and watch strangers walk around the track. The money collected was a small piece of the pie in helping those who have cancer. Little did I know that each one of those strangers has a miraculous and inspiring story of how they dealt with cancer and became a cancer survivor and hopefully one day I will be walking along side my granddaddy telling his story to families and sharing his challenges and successes of a cancer survivor.