Just a moment ago, I sat down on the couch with my TCU Magazine. It comes four times a year, and I love perusing through it. Everytime, before I even read any articles I flip to the back to see the Alum News section. It's where you find all the fun photos of weddings, babies and alumni gatherings. Today, at the end of the section Frogs We Will Miss, I saw Andrea Martin's name. She was in my pledge class in Pi Phi. It was a class of less than 50. I feel like such an idiot that I didn't know that things were so bad. I've been so out of the loop for so many months.
There's a blog that I found, that was written by her mother, father, mother-in-law, and father-in-law. I started reading it, and I just continued to go back further, and further, until I couldn't read it any longer. I feel sick to my stomach. The account of her story was so honest, and so heartbreaking. Here I was, soon to go into surgery, and she lost her battle. Just as her fight was ending, mine was beginning. I wish I could have spoken to her.
If you want to check out her blog, please do. I don't think anyone's managing it anymore, but it's a story that should be shared. If you get the chance to read it, please think of her family, and her husband especially during these holidays that are rapidly approaching. I can't imagine how hard it would be to be in their position, missing Andrea so much.
She was an extremely kind, intelligent, compassion person and I'm better having known her in the short time that I did. Life can be short, and I have to cherish every moment of it. Not just for me or my friends and family, but also in honor of people like Andrea. It's important that we don't take our health and life for granted. Our lives and our health are a gift.
