Inspiration behind Cancer Relief
I learned the definition of cancer in my sixth-grade science class: "A disease resulting from uncontrolled growth of cells." After taking the unit test, I moved on, oblivious to how heart-shattering a six-letter word could be.
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I learned the meaning of cancer two years later when my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Growing up, she was my second mother who had filled in the frequent absence of my hard-working parents. I used to go to the kitchen and hug my grandma as I came home to the warm meals she cooked. I used to fall asleep to the Vietnamese folk tales she told. Now, memories are all left. And just like that, cancer had taken away a beloved one forever.
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Loss has a way of making me look at myself through its lens. I am weak, and I am strong. I am filled with happy memories and sad regrets. Yet importantly, it has a way of connecting my heart with those in the cancer community, inspiring me to start sending the first care packages to the local cancer patients. Weekly Saturday mornings of putting together little gifts turned into a mission of supporting children and adults battling cancer one care package at a time with the name Cancer Relief Foundation. Rather than a sense of accomplishment, the priceless gift that this experience gives me is the warmth to my heart every time I open the foundation's inbox: "Your care package put a smile on my face after a long day at chemo!" While I know that my little gifts are unable to take away their pain nor cure their illness, all I hope for is to let them know that they are in my prayers and to remind them that they are so loved and supported. Just a smile on the patient's face is enough to motivate me to bring a sparkle of positivity, albeit a small one, to the harsh reality of cancer, even just momentarily.
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Every time I saw the smiles of the cancer warriors as they received my care packages, my heart filled with indescribable joy. It is a lovely and magical feeling that giving back has brought into my life, and that is when I realized that I have found something that I can find pure joy in doing. I sometimes wonder: What is it about giving back that makes me so happy? After many thoughts, I found the answer for myself: No reason- as I realized that when we do things we are in love with, we will start to forget about the reasons-because love truly has no reason. Love does not come from the mind but from the heart, and so does giving back. So why give back? Because my heart told me to do so. Why do I feel happy? Because I follow my heart.
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The more I connected and shared with each cancer warrior, the more I began to realize all that they taught me. In a campaign that my foundation held for a 6-year-old brain cancer patient, a memory that deeply left an impression in my mind was when a mother of a pediatric cancer patient reached out to donate and said: "I know my child is going through a lot. But as a mom, I can't see another child suffer." At that moment, the beauty of humane compassion was an enormous epiphany for me. Throughout this journey, my mission would have been impossible without those who support it. They are patients, survivors, and caregivers-whose lives also suffered the pain and loss caused by cancer yet still found room for compassion. They taught me that the value of kindness does not come from tangible value but a sincere heart. I learned that the way to fully help others is not just with the head but with the heart.
The word cancer is a dark shadow that covers the lives of those it touched. In that shadow, those with losses and pains find each other. Somewhere there, the stories of these strong souls become the bright flames that lighten this life. The way they overcome adversity and continue to live this beautiful life inspires me day by day as I encounter their stories. From strangers, Cancer Relief becomes an intangible string that brings me with the cancer warriors out there together. Sparkled from a simple hope of doing something for the patients out there, my aspiration began to turn into my ambition to pursue a career in medicine as an oncologist and continue my journey alongside the cancer community. My emotional connection with the cancer warriors has become a defining aspect of my life that I want to carry on with me into my future. To me, a higher education means more than just acquiring knowledge but pursuing a key to becoming a bigger part of the journey against the dark, downward pull of cancer.
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For some, memory belongs to the past. Yet for me, the memories of my grandmother live and relive day by day here in the Cancer Relief Foundation and in each of the smallest acts of caring I do. My journey to grow and learn will continue, and both my heart and brain will guide my path.
