“My mother was a school principal. A lot of times she worked until 8 pm, so my grandfather would always pick me up from elementary school and help me with my homework. He loved to help me with school because I was his first grandchild to get an education. He especially loved book reports. He always insisted that we decorate the cover of the report in case we needed an extra bump in our grade. If it was a Halloween book report, he’d make a witch out of toilet paper and straws. He always told me that it was his dream to see me finish college. But the day before I graduated high school, his hand started shaking and he dropped a bowl of cereal while we were eating breakfast. It turned out he had a major stroke. He was minimally responsive after that but we kept him on life support. We thought if we prayed hard enough and believed enough, he would recover. He held on for a few years. I ended up going to the Fashion Institute of Technology, and I’d stop in every once in awhile and tell him about my grades. Toward the end, he grew very sick and blind, and his body was rejecting food. I finally graduated from FIT, and I brought him my graduation photos. Even though he couldn’t see them, I described the graduation to him. He died that night.”

To put it simply, I found this woman’s story heart-wrenching. It reminded me how time is limited and how spending time with your loved ones can be easily changed. But, despite problems that are presented, a person should love the people they care about no less and fight for them-just like this woman and her grandfather did. Despite her busy schedule, she still took time to visit her ailing grandfather. However, she wasn’t the only one fighting, evidently. It equally warms my heart and makes it hurt that her grandfather held on to life long enough, fighting constantly, to-in a way-experience her graduating. He fought to see her accomplish something she had been trying to do since elementary school.

From the day she graduated high school to the day she graduated from college, they were both fighting for themselves and for each other. That’s what loving someone means, in my opinion.