saddened

  No, this isn't another DF update. This isn't a merry Christmas or generic happy holidays post. This is me sad.
  A girl I knew last year, a girl I talked to, who was really nice, who shared my first name, was in my gym class, moved away over the summer to Texas. And today I found out that she has cancer. Throughout her whole body. They can't do anything, and they just have to let her die. She's my age. And she's dying of cancer. If she were here, I would just hug her. I can't believe this is happening. She was so nice to me last year, and now she'll be gone.
  This reminds me of my cousin. When she was five years old, she was sick and they took her to the doctor. She was diagnosed with leukemia and died a year later. Her battle was so hard. Even though I was too young to know her then, you could feel the gap in the family when she died. You can still feel it. I talk to her older sister sometimes, and I can still feel the gap that was left by such a little girl. Even though I was three when she died, I knew what was going on. Various pictures of her bald grace my extended family's houses. We all miss her.
  My cousin, one of her older sisters, just had a baby girl about two weeks ago. And she named her after her sister, this girl who I never knew. Their brother died as just a baby, and I had another little cousin who died after my aunt and uncle tried for so long to have a baby. Their second adopted child still says that she's the middle child, after that little sister that she never really knew.
  So I guess that death is on my mind right now.