Friends and a Funeral

 

Beginning

One stormy Saturday morning of April, two very close friends named Jason and Don were driving along the Highway 101 in Los Angeles. They were making their way to the San Fernando Mission Cemetery. You see, another close friend of theirs named Luke had just lost his Grandmother. She had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a type of cancer that originates when a specific white blood cell called a lymphocyte mutates and multiplies rapidly. The disease affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s immune system. 

  Jason tilted his head on the window of the passenger’s seat, and thought back to when he had Hodgkin’s Disease five years earlier. It was on a Wednesday in 2012. He had just finished up with his last class and started to not feel well. When one of his fellow classmates named George asked him, “Hey, you okay Jason?” Jason replied, “Yeah, just been taking a lot in this week from classes, that’s all.” But little did he know that this was more than just some common school stress. It was something big. 

Jason took the bus home, feeling increasingly tired and feverish. At the time, Jason did not know what he had, but it was not improving one bit. When the bus driver dropped Jason off at his home in Laurel Canyon, Jason found himself collapsing on his front porch. About half an hour later, Jason’s father Stan got home to find his son unconscious. After trying to wake him up, Stan immediately rushed him off to the Los Angeles Community Hospital. At the hospital, the doctors confirmed that Jason had Hodgkin’s disease. The results from it were not pleasant. Doctor Adam stated that already four other kids had come in past five months, each of them had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and so far, none of them had any improvements. There was no telling when Jason would be rid of it himself.

The long months in the Hospital were excruciating for poor Jason. Every day it felt like he was getting closer and closer to the light. Even with his parents taking several days off of work to visit him and his brother Zarik cancelling his Friday night plans to come see his big bother, his pain seemed to be increasing, not just in his body, but also in his mind. Two kids had already dyed, so Jason and the other two kids were scared that one of them could be next. It was just a question of which one would be, and if there was an antidote.

As each week passed by, the doctors and nurses would stop by to check on the patients. They would provide them with treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, though whether it would help them or not, they could not say. Poor Jason felt lucky to have his family visiting him every week, as well as his two closest pals, Don and Luke. 

It had already been 18 months since Jason was sent into the hospital, and the other two kids did not make it. Now, he was really sacred he could be done for, but then, one Friday evening, Doctor Adam came in and gave Jason good news: the disease was vanishing and he would be good to go home in just a few days. 

As soon as Jason got out of the hospital, he was relieved to be back to his normal life, but deep down, he still felt sorry for those who did not make it through the Hodgkin’s disease, and he was still not sure if someone else would one day get it or even if it would come back to him. Whatever the case, Jason from that day forth never walked into a building incautiously.  

Middle

 

Sadly, Jason’s fear of the Hodgkin’s disease returning to his life was coming true on this very day. As soon as he heard his close friend’s Grandmother had died from it, he knew that this was a heavy event. One that both he and his other friend Don would have given up their PS4 station to miss. 

But they knew they couldn’t let their friend Luke down, especially since he was always there for Jason every other weekend he was in the hospital. After all, this was just one funeral they had to attend. It was not like they had to attend three others afterwards. Yet, the moods on their faces did not change as they went driving down the 101 Highway in Don’s Nissan Rogue. While Jason was still tilting his head on the window, trying to get rid of the stress, Don just couldn’t help but comment on the event. “God” he said with a heavy breath, “I just hate funerals, don’t you? They’re just so dark and depressing.” Jason, a little bit awakened, replied, “Yeah, well at least they bring people together.” This still did not seem to satisfy Don since he still felt depressed. “I know”, he responded, “but at what cost? There’s nothing fun or pleasant about them.” At this time, Jason could not believe his friend’s lack of knowledge of life and situations. With that, Jason responded, “They’re not made to be fun or pleasant, that’s what we have places like mini golfing and Disneyland for. Besides we made a promise to our friend Luke that we would be there.”

As the two continued down the road, the massive clouds started to kick in while thunder was erupting, and they knew that this was going to be a rainy day for the funeral. It felt logical to Jason – depressing weather for a depressing day. Of course, he did not share his point of view with Don, for Don did not understand how Jason could look at such occasions and be satisfied with them. Instead, Don talked about what he wanted to happen the day he died and that would be with “blooming flowers, a bright sun, and everybody coming together as one.” Of course, Jason had a different idea of how he would die. He said, “Not me bro, when I die, I want it to be the saddest moment of everyone’s life, with the Stock Market crashing, a new big virus cuts in, and Taylor Swift having a child or two with someone that isn’t me.” 

Don could still not understand Jason’s crush for a famous pop star artist who seemed too good for him, especially given the fact that she was an amazing writer, whereas Jason for a college student, was not. Soon the two were starting an argument so big that, Jason shouted to Don, “LOOK OUT!”, they came close to hitting a semitruck right in front of them, before Don quickly switched lanes. The two men were getting their minds back into the present while their hearts were beating fast. Jason with a big sigh, said “Would you keep your eyes on the road please. It’s heart breaking enough that we have to attend a funeral this weekend without being close to having our own.” 

At that moment, the Rogue had departed from the highway and was entering the San Fernando Cemetery. It was time to see their friend, Luke and comfort him, for he needed it, more than they knew.

End

 

It was about four-thirty when Luke had wrapped up his eulogy for his late grandmother. “And so,” he said while wiping off some tears from his face, “We must never forget Grandma Nora’s great words, do not let one tough day be your end, for your journey is never over until you’ve taken your final step.” 

After this, a man with a bag pipe started playing amazing grace as Luke Grandmother’s coffin was being lowered into the pit below her gravestone. As he watched with a depressed face, Luke felt Jason place his hand on his left shoulder while Don placed his hand on Luke’s right shoulder. All three of them felt closer than they ever had to each other. 

But even with this being the case, Luke still had one more question for Jason, “How did you do it? How did you survive Hodgkin’s disease?” Now Jason, despite the fact that he was taking a biology class, still did not possess all the knowledge of fighting off cancer. So, using his instincts, Jason just answered, “I don’t know, I guess it was just by not thinking about it and by having a strong will.” While this seemed logical, it still did not help Luke with his pain. Having to deal with a lost relative was too big a burden for him. 

Even with this being the case, Jason still tried to get his friend’s spirit up, so he pointed out to Luke, “Look, your grandmother said that your journey is never is over until you’ve taken your final step. Right?” Luke nodded, “So maybe her death is not your end, and therefore, it is not truly her end either, for as long as you treasure people and all they’ve done, you will find yourself on the road, carrying them inside you, and you’ll realize from there that even her journey is not over, but is merely beginning.”

Luke did not quite understand what Jason was saying, but he still headed his words. Right as they were wrapping up, Don called out to them saying, “Hey guys, who’s up for some Ghirardelli ice cream.” Jason told Don, he would be right there, then he turned around to face Luke and asked him, “Are you coming?” Luke responded, “Yeah, I’ll meet you guys at the Rogue.” With that, Jason walked towards the Rogue. Luke took one last look at his Grandmother’s tombstone and said, “Thank you Grandmother Nora, for showing me the way to move, for always comforting me. Thank you for everything.” After expressing his gratitude, Luke walked in Jason and Don’s direction and headed straight for Ghirardelli with his Grandmother’s spirit looking lovingly down on him from the clouds.        

       

Sources

1. Mayo Clinic “Patient Care and Information: Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Hodgkin’s disease)”