I Believe In Hope

To some, hope is the simple need for something to happen, an A on a test, a new car for Christmas. To others, hope is the desire for something to change, to defy the odds and live. I never really believed in hope, I mean I always had hope for dumb things like I hope I pass this test I didn’t study for or I hope they still have that cute shirt in the mall that I wanted. I never saw anyone really hope for anything of value or importance to them until an event changed my outlook on the value of hope.

In 2008, my grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given sixth months or less to live. The first thing he said to us was “I’m not afraid of death.” it then became his hope, his want, and his desire to beat this. From that point on, it just became more painful, the chemo treatments seemed to cause more pain then help. That never stopped my grandfather, his hope to live helped him through this speed bump in his road of life and live to see another day. He continued to work and take care of his farm and help others in his community, anyone that needed him, he was there. My grandfather died in September 2008, 2 months shorter then he was given. He may not have beat the odds, but it was his hope that kept him strong, he was always strong, never weak in my eyes. I to hoped that my grandpa would be the person that you hear about that is given sixth months to live, but those months turn into years and they are able to beat the cancer. Although that didn’t happen, my grandpa taught me that hope can be very powerful and that’s what helped him last as long as he did. He really changed my outlook on hope in life that it wasn’t something meaningless, there was a purpose behind it. I believe in hope.