When I was a child I had a female friend with whom I thought the world of. She had a nice body for kids, we were twelve at the time. She had dark hair and her eyes were a soft coco color. She smelled like honey to me. Her name was Lillian, and in my world she was everything that was cool about friends with the opposite sex. She was able to tell me the girls that liked me and why. Most guys are not that lucky. And she even kissed me once.
Of course that kiss was a seal for me. I would defend her to the death if needed. And the next year at school began an incredible journey of fear, faith and letting go.
Lillian and I enjoyed sitting around down by the edge of the river that ran through town part of the year after good rains. She would talk about the man she would one day marry. He was a dark eyed muscle man.
She'd laugh and then say,
"you never know could be you to." Then she would giggle. I would laugh with her. I had no idea how our lives were to change.
That year, she was diagnosed with childhood Leukemia. And back in the eighties children didn't survive long. My mother cut through and cruelly told me my friend would die. That was the explanation she gave. There was no other information given to me too understand why was this happening?
We grew up around magma copper mine smelter's that did not use their filters. All the children in those towns had higher than normal rates of cancer, according to a report that had been issued by the EPA.
But not one person stopped the company from pouring those chemicals into the air. The chemicals would be like fog on the track at school. I could taste the sulfur.
And the gym teacher would scream at us to run in that shit. I refused. Even then, I knew right from wrong. And that was a huge hatred for me, companies who disregarded safety over people's lives.
Lillian died a year and half later. Her journey was a really hard one. But she took it all in and made adult decisions about her body and her last few months. She actually was going to get married but she died before that could take place.
I added the donate button to the end of all these articles. And unless you go to the bottom of the page you will never see it.
Every year I try to help raise money and awareness that this horrible disease, childhood Leukemia has not gone away. Hundreds of thousands have been spared the horrible treatments Lillian went through with new drugs created from all the donations. Please help continue this fight. Your donations mean and do so much good for these kids.
I know many of you give money to your favorite places. Some of you never give any thing. I am not asking for me. I am asking for those who will never have a voice again. The ones who have all ready passed away. For those who will survive and get those needed medications. If you never donate that is all right, but if you do please consider helping as we never forget their is still miles to go. Until all cancer is cured. Thank you for reading.
Of course that kiss was a seal for me. I would defend her to the death if needed. And the next year at school began an incredible journey of fear, faith and letting go.
Lillian and I enjoyed sitting around down by the edge of the river that ran through town part of the year after good rains. She would talk about the man she would one day marry. He was a dark eyed muscle man.
She'd laugh and then say,
"you never know could be you to." Then she would giggle. I would laugh with her. I had no idea how our lives were to change.
That year, she was diagnosed with childhood Leukemia. And back in the eighties children didn't survive long. My mother cut through and cruelly told me my friend would die. That was the explanation she gave. There was no other information given to me too understand why was this happening?
We grew up around magma copper mine smelter's that did not use their filters. All the children in those towns had higher than normal rates of cancer, according to a report that had been issued by the EPA.
But not one person stopped the company from pouring those chemicals into the air. The chemicals would be like fog on the track at school. I could taste the sulfur.
And the gym teacher would scream at us to run in that shit. I refused. Even then, I knew right from wrong. And that was a huge hatred for me, companies who disregarded safety over people's lives.
Lillian died a year and half later. Her journey was a really hard one. But she took it all in and made adult decisions about her body and her last few months. She actually was going to get married but she died before that could take place.
I added the donate button to the end of all these articles. And unless you go to the bottom of the page you will never see it.
Every year I try to help raise money and awareness that this horrible disease, childhood Leukemia has not gone away. Hundreds of thousands have been spared the horrible treatments Lillian went through with new drugs created from all the donations. Please help continue this fight. Your donations mean and do so much good for these kids.
I know many of you give money to your favorite places. Some of you never give any thing. I am not asking for me. I am asking for those who will never have a voice again. The ones who have all ready passed away. For those who will survive and get those needed medications. If you never donate that is all right, but if you do please consider helping as we never forget their is still miles to go. Until all cancer is cured. Thank you for reading.
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