Racers Racing for the Cure

            Six Months of Agony

            The time had finally come, I was officially sixteen years old.  All I could think about was freedom, license, and having my own car. I had been impatiently waiting for this day since the time I got my permit. Now all I had to do was talk to my mom and dad to make sure everything was going as planned.

            "Guess who's finally sixteen?!" I questioned my mom.

            "Happy Birthday!" my mom exclaimed with a slight smile.

            "Have you talked to your dad about the car yet?" mom asked.

            "No, I'll call him up right now." I replied as I headed toward my room.

            "Hello?" he answered.

            "Hi dad! How are you?" I asked

            "I'm fine, how's my birthday girl?"

            "Anxious! Well, I'm dying to get my car and license!"

            "I know you are. Put your mother on the phone so we can talk this through."

            Fifteen minutes had come and gone and I was becoming extremely antsy. I kept wondering to myself what they could possibly be talking about for so long. Finally, twenty minutes later my mom came out of her room with a sad look on her face.

            "What's wrong mom?" I asked in a worried voice.

            "Your dad needs to talk to you about something, but for now he had to go." she explained as she forced back her tears.

            "Does it have to do with the expense? Because I can help pay, it's no problem."

            "No honey, that's all taken care of, I'm taking you to get your license and car tomorrow." my mom replied.

            I was set to go, the day had arrived when I received my license. My first stop before I went home was my dad's house. When I walked in I could tell right away that something was still not right. The atmosphere was quiet and calm as my stepmom and I stared at my dad staring into space with a blank look on his face. I figured it would be best to just keep my distance and let my father be by himself.

            Since dinner time was approaching I offered to help my stepmom cook dinner. I figured the least I could do is help and keep Jody company. Our conversation started off a little awkward, but as time went by we both loosened up.  Eventually, I worked up the nerve to ask what was going on.

            "Well, your grandpa has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Your dad is taking it very hard." Jody explained while choking back the tears.

            Why him I thought to myself. My grandpa is the sixty three year old type of guy that did everything possible to help another person out. The guy who would never in a million years put himself before someone else. He may have been the quietest person in the room and the one who rarely said how he felt, but once he began everyone would be touched. He's one of those people that give off the tough, don't mess with me kind of vibe, but really he's like a giant teddy bear. I just couldn't believe it was happening to him.

            As soon as dinner was finished I asked my dad if we could go see grandpa. That was the day that the six continuous months of driving back and forth to Toledo everyday began. The best way to explain the experience is a scary roller coaster that seemed to have no breaks. It seemed like everytime he would start to get better something worse would develop. His illness kept taking bigger and bigger tolls on our family. With everyone being so stressed out and worried it caused some of us to argue with others for things we could not control. Before I knew it our family was drifting apart. At the beginning of June we got the worst news ever, my grandpa only had a few more days to live. From that point on I have never been the same.

            The day after I found out the horrible news I went up to the hospital following my softball game.  My grandpa was the type that was interested in his grandchildrens' sports, so that was the first thing we talked about.

            "How did you do today?" he asked while gasping for air.

            "Pretty good, I went two for three with a double." I replied happily.

            "Good job. When's your next game?"

            "Tomorrow." I answered.

            "Good luck and hit one for me." he would always tell me.

            Those were the best motivating words I ever received. It meant the world to me when my family members cheered me on.

            "I will" I replied with a smile on my face.

            That was when he reached his hand out for mine and my stomach dropped. Remember this is the man that I have only ever hugged once in my entire life which was when my great grandfather passed away just a year before.

            "I love you Aubrie." he struggled to tell me.

            "I love you too, Grandpa." I replied as my eyes started to tear up. That was the first time my grandpa had ever told me he loved me. I tried my hardest to hold my tears back because my grandpa hated to see people cry. From that day on I always started my ball games by wishing for at least one big hit to make my grandpa proud. I was so happy that most of the time I succeeded at doing so.

            Since my grandpa was a huge racing fan our family decided to make a foundation to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. Unfortunately  my grandpa passed away before we made it through our biggest event for Racers Racing For The Cure. After his death we decided to continue our foundation to help those diagnosed with cancer. Although it's hard to continue our fund raisers because it reminds us of our loss, I still love the feeling of helping others out. So instead of looking at the bad end of the situation our family tries our hardest to focus on all the good times we had with our beloved family member.

            The time had come when it was time to give grandpa our last goodbyes. I battled to hold back the tears so I wouldn't let him down but it was just too much to hold back. Everyone's eyes were blood shot and their hearts were broken. It seemed like a long, hard and never ending obstacle but in the end we all knew it was for the better. After all, he is healthy and happy in Heaven now. I just wish he could have traveled the world along side my grandma a month after his retirement like his dream was, rather than spending the time in the hospital battling pancreatic cancer.