I feel compelled to write a little bit in reaction to a recent sad event.
On Sunday evening, I received a voicemail from Anna claiming to have some news. After a couple of days of missing one another’s phone calls, I eventually got hold of her on Tuesday evening. Expecting to hear something regarding Anna’s potentially glittering vocation as a concert pianist–‘I’ve been signed by Sony’, for example–I was left utterly shocked by the news that she actually did deliver: a friend of ours from King’s, Laura, died of cancer last Tuesday. She was just 23-years-old: younger than myself.
It took several minutes for this information to sink in, particularly since I was not even aware that she had been ill. I had nothing productive to say; the repetition of ‘Oh my God’ was all that seemed to emerge from my lips.
When the call ended, I cried.
Two days have passed, and I am still reeling from Anna’s phone call. Laura’s death seems so unreal; naively, I still can’t quite believe that cancer could have snatched away the life of somebody so young and in good health. As we immerse ourselves in the quotidian, it is so easy to imagine death to be a distant abyss that one will not disappear into for many years. Suddenly, I have been hit by the realisation that graves are not exclusively for the old and frail.
Chris held me as I cried into his shoulder on Tuesday evening. Feeling the warmth radiate from him and inhaling his scent, I felt awash with gratitude for everything I have. It’s a cliché, but occurances such as the death of a peer/friend really make you appreciate all that is good in life.
A few words about Laura: she was a kind-hearted, intelligent and fun young woman. After graduating from King’s three years ago, we began to lose touch; tenuous Facebook messages were all that really connected us. I believe that her teaching experience at a school in Greater London had paved the way for a leadership position within the Teach First organisation; clearly, her confidence had increased and her career was developing well.
To conclude this post, I am making an explicit and shameless plea for sponsorship. On July 21st, I am taking part in the Race for Life at Houghton Hall: an event which seeks to raise money for Cancer Research UK. If you would like to make a donation, please visit my page: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lucygrattoni
On Sunday evening, I received a voicemail from Anna claiming to have some news. After a couple of days of missing one another’s phone calls, I eventually got hold of her on Tuesday evening. Expecting to hear something regarding Anna’s potentially glittering vocation as a concert pianist–‘I’ve been signed by Sony’, for example–I was left utterly shocked by the news that she actually did deliver: a friend of ours from King’s, Laura, died of cancer last Tuesday. She was just 23-years-old: younger than myself.
It took several minutes for this information to sink in, particularly since I was not even aware that she had been ill. I had nothing productive to say; the repetition of ‘Oh my God’ was all that seemed to emerge from my lips.
When the call ended, I cried.
Two days have passed, and I am still reeling from Anna’s phone call. Laura’s death seems so unreal; naively, I still can’t quite believe that cancer could have snatched away the life of somebody so young and in good health. As we immerse ourselves in the quotidian, it is so easy to imagine death to be a distant abyss that one will not disappear into for many years. Suddenly, I have been hit by the realisation that graves are not exclusively for the old and frail.
Chris held me as I cried into his shoulder on Tuesday evening. Feeling the warmth radiate from him and inhaling his scent, I felt awash with gratitude for everything I have. It’s a cliché, but occurances such as the death of a peer/friend really make you appreciate all that is good in life.
A few words about Laura: she was a kind-hearted, intelligent and fun young woman. After graduating from King’s three years ago, we began to lose touch; tenuous Facebook messages were all that really connected us. I believe that her teaching experience at a school in Greater London had paved the way for a leadership position within the Teach First organisation; clearly, her confidence had increased and her career was developing well.
To conclude this post, I am making an explicit and shameless plea for sponsorship. On July 21st, I am taking part in the Race for Life at Houghton Hall: an event which seeks to raise money for Cancer Research UK. If you would like to make a donation, please visit my page: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lucygrattoni
No comments:
Post a Comment