Author's Note: I am writing this through my best friend Saralyn's eyes. She is truly an angel.
Hi. My name is Saralyn. I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 11 years old. It was a sunny day, and I didn't show up to school. My friend Kerri called me to see what was wrong. But I didn't answer. I couldn't. So my mom did. My mom had told Kerri that I was sick. She said that it was probably just a 24-hour virus. But I couldn't even open my eyes. I was like an old dish towel that someone had thrown on my bed.
So Kerri came over and checked on me. She brought me a homemade meal -- my favorite, a sandwich with lettuce, turkey, tomatoes, and pickles with her mom's famous chicken-noodle soup and orange juice. I LOVED this meal anytime I was sick. But this time, I couldn't. A tear dripped down Kerri's cheek. So she read me a few chapters in my book. I love reading, and I was in a good part of my book. But I couldn't see.
But soon, mom came in and told Kerri she had to leave. I missed the next 3 days of school. Mom wouldn't let Kerri over on any of the days. I could hear Kerri on the phone as mom talked to her as she sat at the edge of my bed. Kerri was sobbing 50 buckets of tears per minute. After the fourth day, mom let Kerri over to see me. Kerri was crying her heart out on my bed as I lay there motionless. Mom told Kerri she had to leave. We were going to the hospital. Kerri cried and asked Mom to let her come, but Mom refused.
At the hospital, they had to take a sample of my blood and weigh me. I had lost an extreme amount of weight. The doctors had found leukemia cells in my blood. Mom called Kerri and told her the news. Kerri cried and cried. After another week of missing school, I felt good enough to go back to school. When Kerri saw me, she ran up to me and hugged me for 4 minutes straight and cried on my shoulder.
I told her how I felt so much better after taking the medicine they put me on. After school, we jumped on Kerri's trampoline. It was fun, fun, fun! But after about 10 minutes of jumping, giggling, and talking about boys, I fell to the bottom of the trampoline. Kerri jumped down, too. "Are you okay?" she had asked. I felt really weak and it was hard for me to breathe. My face was turning purple. Kerri picked me up. I was still very light. She ran next door and brought me into my house, where my mom drove us to the hospital.
The doctors were very thankful for Kerri. If she hadn't brought me inside and rushed me to the doctor, then the leukemia cells could've killed me. Kerri cried a little, watching me lay in bed with tubes in my arms. But I was out the next day, and back to my feet again. I just couldn't be too active. So Kerri and I played some video games and painted. On my twelfth birthday, I was up and feeling good. So Kerri and I saw a movie and she threw a party. We went out to eat and got some cake.
But after a week, I was back to being ill. This happened every few weeks. When I was 13, I silently died. I had been sleeping and never woke up. Mom freaked out and called Kerri and the hospital. Kerri had been crying and so was my mom. My mom was like Kerri's own mother. Kerri slept over at my house all week and wouldn't return home until her mom told her that she was so sorry and that they could take my mom out to eat.
Saralyn's funeral is in two weeks, which reminded me that I should make an article about her. Sara, we all love you. You are always running through my mind. Saralyn, you are an angel. I love you so much like a sister. And even though you are gone now, you aren't gone forever. We will one day reunite in Heaven.
