One of my bestfriends has fallen in love for the first time and just like any other girl in love, she thinks what they have is a great love story unfolding. But before they could go beyond the "once upon a time" phrase, the "the end" phrase began to lurk in every sentence of their story book.
Why?
She's in love with a man who has cancer. He was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after they met sometime ago.
I know this sounds like the movie A Walk To Remember but this is not fiction, it's real. And now she's asked for my advice and asked me that if I were in her place, would I be willing to go into a serious relationship with someone who has cancer?
We can't choose whom to fall in love with but being in a serious relationship is a choice. Many people get into relationships because they love each other but it takes more than love and lust to make a relationship work. Committing with another person is hard enough as it is. You have to deal with a lot of issues, face a lot of challenges together and hopefully come up with compromises for your differences.Add to that the issue of terminal illness, and the problem gets bigger.
So, my answer to her question will be: IT DEPENDS.
It depends on how deeply I love and care for the other person. Will I be strong enough to lend my strength to him during those trying times? Will I be patient and understanding enough to take his mood swings in stride? Will I be of help to him rather than a liability? How committed am I if ever?Life is a journey and we meet people along the way. If I happen to meet a wonderful person somewhere along the path, it doesn't matter whether the meeting will just be brief and short. What matters is that I had memorable sweet memories that will last a lifetime.
To love or not to love? It depends. But I really hope and pray that God will send a miracle to the both of you, miga Nic.
