Written by Donna Garretson Young
My brother Tom and I were two years apart in age so we shared many events, activities, interests and memories. We were the second and third born of five children and we managed to stay out of trouble as long as we kept a low profile within the family. Even though we did have disagreements occasionally, I always knew my brother had my back. It was however annoying in high school when he would tell his friends to leave his little sister alone and when he first met my boyfriend who I later married, he told him that he better be nice to me because I was his sister.
We both married a year apart and started to raise our children. Living hundreds of miles apart we didn’t see each other that often even though it was always a joy to be around him, his wife, and children on those rare occasions. I was devastated when I found out that he had cancer!
The last time I saw my brother was at one of his son’s wedding. He put up a valiant front and was able to fulfill his dream of officiating at his son’s wedding. I could see at that time that the cancer was taking its toll on his body. I could have told him “Good Bye” then but I didn’t want to believe that that would be the last time I would ever see him again and part of me felt like if I did say something that might cause him to give up the fight.
When I heard that he preached at his church the Sunday before he went into the hospital for the last time, I truly expected him, as did others, to come out after another grueling treatment. But this didn’t happen. He didn’t survive the treatment. At the age of 52 he was gone.
I had lost a good friend to brain cancer a few months prior to my brother’s passing. She called me a week before her passing to tell me she was ready to go and to say “Good Bye”. I had anticipated that this would be the same thing my brother would be able to do, but it was not to be. I wanted to tell him that I loved him dearly and to reassure him that God was waiting for him. It saddens me to think I can’t hug him one more time but I know God’s will prevails. It is comforting to see his family happy and to be able to rejoice in their achievements and successes as I know he would have done.
