A Day in the Life
Nathan Bodenschatz
Sharp
Essay #5
10/23/09
Playing board games. Playing catch. Going camping. All of these are activities of the typical family. My family did all of those and more when I was younger. Days were spent putting puzzles together on the floor in the living room. Many hours passed as we watched movies or went swimming at a friend’s house. Everything was simple and normal.
My parents supported everything my brothers and I got involved in. They always attended all of our sporting events, all of our musical and theatrical performances, and they never missed an academic competition (like when I won the 5th grade spelling bee). Unfortunately, that spelling bee is the last time I can remember seeing my parents in the crowd. When I was in the 6th grade, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. After his diagnosis, nothing was ever the same; moreover, our family was not the same. Not only was he attending chemotherapy treatments on a regular basis, it was no longer a guarantee that he would be at my activities. Neither would my mother.
Being in the 6th grade and not knowing if your parents will be able to show up for your race or your baseball game is not a good feeling. Knowing that the reason they can’t come is that your dad has a potentially deadly disease is heartbreaking. Things were never the same afterwards. Post-diagnosis, we did not attend church every Sunday. The puzzles began collecting dust in the closet. Grandparents and relatives began to replace mom and dad in the stands. The backyard no longer had the dead grass patches from hours of playing catch in the same spot. Nothing was the same. Everything was different.
Sharp
Essay #5
10/23/09
Playing board games. Playing catch. Going camping. All of these are activities of the typical family. My family did all of those and more when I was younger. Days were spent putting puzzles together on the floor in the living room. Many hours passed as we watched movies or went swimming at a friend’s house. Everything was simple and normal.
My parents supported everything my brothers and I got involved in. They always attended all of our sporting events, all of our musical and theatrical performances, and they never missed an academic competition (like when I won the 5th grade spelling bee). Unfortunately, that spelling bee is the last time I can remember seeing my parents in the crowd. When I was in the 6th grade, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. After his diagnosis, nothing was ever the same; moreover, our family was not the same. Not only was he attending chemotherapy treatments on a regular basis, it was no longer a guarantee that he would be at my activities. Neither would my mother.
Being in the 6th grade and not knowing if your parents will be able to show up for your race or your baseball game is not a good feeling. Knowing that the reason they can’t come is that your dad has a potentially deadly disease is heartbreaking. Things were never the same afterwards. Post-diagnosis, we did not attend church every Sunday. The puzzles began collecting dust in the closet. Grandparents and relatives began to replace mom and dad in the stands. The backyard no longer had the dead grass patches from hours of playing catch in the same spot. Nothing was the same. Everything was different.