2. When I was about eight years
old, my mother always brought
me to my grandfather’s house,
just a coupe of blocks away
from ours. It was just fine with
me because aside from my Lolo
Erning, I also get to spend time
with my Uncle Noel, my
mother’s youngest brother.
3. Uncle Noel and I would go to church every Sunday and eat our favorite
ice cream after the mass. We would talk a lot and do so many things together.
He was my role model as a child. He was handsome and cool.
One summer, the most exiting part of my ten years on earth, the whole
family planned to go to Lolo Erning’s farmhouse. I was very thrilled to go there
because Uncle Noel would be there, there!
During our stay at my grandmother’s farmhouse, I noticed that my
grandmother always boiled unfamiliar leaves and asked Uncle Noel to drink it.
In addition, Uncle Noel also ate a lot of fruits and vegetables, which I thought
was strange. He also suddenly changed his diet. I thought he just wanted to
lose weight, so I tried to ignore the strange feeling I had inside.
4. On the first Sunday at the farmhouse, Uncle and I went to church
together. We also visited some of our other relatives. When we arrived at the
farmhouse , I was excited to eat ice cream with Uncle Noel, but my
grandmother told me that my uncle will not eat it.
That night I asked my grandfather why Uncle Noel could not eat our
favorite ice cream. He told me that Uncle Noel had cancer, so he must be
careful with his diet. The news shocked me. How could I have not noticed it?
Uncle Noel was always so lively. At a very young age, I learned that there are
things we could not explain in life, just like our faith in God. I just knew that
God was there to help Uncle Noel survive. My faith in Him bought me hope and
confidence and allowed me to rest and be peaceful. The whole family was also
very positive that he was going to survive it.
5. Although Uncle Noel was taking his medication, he still lived in normal
life. That summer, he even volunteered to teach at an orphanage every
Saturday.
With Uncle Noel’s faith in God and the support of our family, he is now
clear of cancer. After 12 years, he is still my role model. Uncle Noel has proven
that faith in God gives us strength to beat physical difficulties. Aside from
having faith in God, he also does his best to stay healthy by eating nutritious
food and doing exercises. He also undergoes a yearly medical checkup.
6. Uncle Noel now working as a teacher. He is also a volunteer worker in
our town, giving seminars to cancer patients as well as their families on how to
cope with and fight cancer.
Uncle Noel will always be a reminder that nothing is impossible if we
having have a strong faith in God.
