People always told me that life could change significantly in an instant but I never understood what that meant until now. Last week, I received the devastating news that my mentor was diagnosed with liver cancer. She couldn’t tell me directly because she believed that she would start crying over the phone so she asked my ISM teacher to pass the information along to me. When Coach Goff told me what happened, I couldn’t believe it. Cancer has fortunately not been part of my family’s history so I always had the feeling that cancer was something so rare and I would never have to confront it in any shape or form. However, after hearing this news, my heart sunk. Even though I have only known my mentor for just a little over a year, we became so close. In fact, she is one of my best friends and knowing that she is suffering breaks my heart. My mentor doesn’t deserve cancer. What she does deserve is happiness. I have never met a person that has so much humbleness and passion in my entire life. I will say it again, she shouldn’t have to go through this. But, as much as I hate to say it: this is life. I am a person that believes that everything happens for a reason. Although this is a situation that nobody wants, I believe we can all learn something from it. I have learned to appreciate life more now and the people that are in it. Dr. Thomas-Keprta is one of the strongest women I know and I have no doubt she will emerge victorious from this battle. Cancer… you are not going to take my mentor away because she is so strong!