A Tribute to My Sister

            There are some things we never get over because they scar so deeply they become a part of us. However, it is not scars that define us or how we hide them, it is the ability to heal the lacerations and tend to them until the risk of infection is gone. It is our ability to shape a painful moment in time into something positive that helps us define who we know ourselves to be and strive to be a better version of that person. Mental scars are the most difficult to surpass because they poison the mind, and, in turn, the mind poisons the body. I experienced this through death of my middle sister, Laura. Within it, I found my inner strength and my love for science and literature.
             When I was seven, Laura was diagnosed with leukemia. She lost her battle during the eighth year. My father worked hard to earn money to sustain us and cover her hospital costs, while my mother became her sole caretaker. My four siblings and I grew to be very close while secluding ourselves from the outside world. Shyness became a Lopez family trait and from shyness came the need to express ourselves. We went our separate ways to do this- I tettered between art and literature. I carried paper and writing utensils, religiously, everywhere I went: I used my pencils until they were an inch tall and my pens until they ran dry. They were my safe haven. As my siblings and I grew together and apart, I became increasingly interested in science because it provided the explanations I craved. However, the more I learned, the more I began to see the gravity of her situation. Scientifically, she didn't stand a chance; spiritually, she needed a miracle. My family functioned together as one body, and she was its center, so when her heart stopped beating, the blood no longer pumped into the ligaments and organs that gave us life. .
             The weight of the world crashed down on me, but, surprisingly, I did not coil in pain; I felt hollow. Upsettingly, in place of pain came understanding; I could not scream and move with frantic urgency, and tears did not flow like rivers from a dam that was years overdue.