Almost one year ago today, I lost my best friend, my Nana. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the summer of 2015, just before I was going to go off to college. My whole world came crashing down with just these two words: Stage Four. How? Why? All of these things raced through my mind. My heart was pounding, tears streaming down my face. How can this happen? She was sick, but we never thought this sick. Why her? She was the best person in the whole world. She was my favorite person in the world. She would give her shirt right off of her own back to a complete stranger. She was the best Nana a granddaughter could ever ask for. She had three kids, five grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. She gave her whole heart to each one of us and made us feel so special. Nothing else could ever compare to the bond that we shared together.

Those next three months would put our family to the test. How could we be strong when the heart of the family is getting sicker and sicker and you can't do anything to make it go away? When people say that you need family and friends to get through it, they are absolutely right. You need your family during this time. You need to stick together and give each other comfort. Someone so special to us all isn't getting better. There isn't enough room in this article to write how special my Nana was to all of us. We have so much to be thankful for. She taught us all something, she was our life, and on October 28, 2015 our Nana gained her angel wings.

Greivement is a painful thing. Everyday I wake up and just want to dial that phone to call my Nana. One more hug and kiss. But that's okay. Everyone grieves differently and it's okay to still be upset. The truth is, you will never truly be okay. You just learn to live with the pain that is in our hearts. When someone special leaves us, their memory, and the heartache of living without them, will never leave. This is one of my favorite quotes that an unknown author wrote. If anyone is dealing with a death, know that it's okay to cry, to have a broken heart. It's normal and you will have it for the rest of your life, you just learn how to overcome that terrible pain every single day.

"God Saw she was getting tired

And a cure was not to be.

So He put His arms around her

And whispered "Come with me"

With tearful eyes we watched her suffer

And saw her fade way.

Although we loved her dearly.

We could not make her stay.

A golden heart stopped beating.

Hard working hands to rest.

God broke our hearts to privet us

He only takes the best."

-Author Unknown