When life throws you a curve ball, what do you do? On September 26th, 2009, I lost a very close friend, Adrianna Duffy, due to pulmonary embolism. She was only 17 years old when she left us. I met her a few years back at an A Better Chance (ABC) southern college tour. We had an instant connection. I was surprised that Adrianna already knew what she wanted to study, how long it would take her, what graduate school she wanted to attend. She had big plans and mapped her life out. I loved this about her. When I received the sad news, I was in class checking my emails. ABC had notified all the scholars of her passing away. When I read it, it didn’t register. I didn’t want to believe it. I had spoken to her a few weeks ago and even sent a text to her. I never got a text back from her; I thought she had to have been extremely busy with college. The sudden loss was a heartbreaker. I still keep her number in my phone, still in disbelief and hoping someday my phone will ring and it is her.
How to cope with losing a very close loved one? It is not easy; you will be sad, angry, and confused. I felt like I was at my lowest point. I was very low emotionally. I honestly couldn’t focus in class, in fact, I couldn’t focus in general. Luckily for me, my professors excused me from class for the day and I was able to go home and to the funeral. It was not easy bouncing back. I was behind in class and had to work twice as hard to catch up. But I did it. Things happen in life that are often unexpected. However, it is up to you to overcome those obstacles. Never give up! In some sense this was a wakeup call. Tomorrow is not a promise so make the most of today.