The day this newspaper hits the campus, it will be my auntie Linda’s birthday, and I wish her well.

This year, however, my family will not be able to spend it with her.

This past June, she became one of the many who passed away due to brain cancer.

At times, I remember the hardships vividly, right down to the anxiety and the fear of all the possibilities that could come of her illness.

As many people who have cancer or know someone with cancer know, all hope is completely shattered when something takes a turn for the worse.

Death of a loved one is never easy, and cancer is perhaps the worst way to lose someone.

This is why all those who know someone who has fallen from cancer should never bow down to the will of this horrible illness.

Rage and distress is inevitable, but it

should not be allowed to consume one’s life.

The person who passed away would be hurt and displeased if we let these feelings get the better of us when they were alive because they would still be trying their best to have hope.

Their passing should not mean one’s hopes should change.

If anything, if someone has strong feelings over someone’s passing, they should join the fight against cancer.

After my aunt’s passing, I cursed cancer funds as worthless organizations with no agenda other than drinking money from a straw because they were able to tug at heartstrings.

This disdain carried over for most of the summer and even still, I can feel it burning within me when I think about having lost her.

It is not wrong to feel such pain, but instead of wildly acting on these feelings, one should celebrate the life of the person who lost their battle with cancer.

Cancer victims would never want anyone else to experience their pain and suffering and would surely tell their loved ones to keep their faith as if they were still alive.

Despite the loss, cancer victims are the strongest people out there because during the final days of their lives, even in the face of their demise, they are still able to wish strength to those who are still fighting.

All should try to take the person’s strength upon their shoulders and press onward through the pain just like they did.

Remembering my aunt’s pain may still tear me apart, but it also empowers me because I know there are people and families out there feeling the same thing that I did.

My aunt would not like her passing to be the end of the fight and neither would anyone else.

Anyone who has witnessed cancer slowly drain the life out of a loved one knows that no one deserves something so brutal to happen to them.

Instead, they should be proud to have known and loved the person and should embrace the tears they shed for them.

Those who have seen cancer claim a life should gather all their power and raise cancer awarenes; even though the person is deceased, the battle is not over.

While I may not see my aunt this year, for her birthday, I will continue her fight.