- Cancer was somewhat responsible for having ruined
my experience of a ‘traditional grad year.’ They always say that the ending of
this year is like the ending of a chapter in your life, and graduation is the
start of a new one... I’m not the philosophical type but here’s an example,
said by someone else who clearly is:
“close the door to the past, Open the door
to future, step on through and start your new chapter in your life.”
-
Well, this analogy isn’t so true with me. I
suppose it’s because my chapter ended a little earlier than everyone else’s.
Forced to accept a matured perspective on life – apologies for using that
phrase so often- But from the moment I was diagnosed, my life has been
revolving around my health and that final finish date: January 29th, 2016. After my
diagnosis, I made a promise with myself to never look back. Never imagine what
could have been or what might have been during my ‘grad year.’ I was put on a
new path and my only choice was to follow it through till’ the end. So
yesterday at graduation, while everyone was celebrating closing one chapter and
starting another, my personal focus was much different. I was celebrating how
far down I’ve come on this diverged path. While
everyone celebrated their accomplishment of graduating, I was celebrating the
current success of my treatment. Graduating was but a mere bunny hill on this
new path, a path that started way back in October.
-
I couldn’t
have been happier to celebrate with my grad class and my amazing teachers this
weekend, as it was the most fun that I had had in a long time. Although it was
clear, as we all tossed our hats in the air, that my reasons for celebrating stemmed
far astray from everyone else’s, much like the path in which I continue to trek
down.
I am now a proud Southridge graduate. As I got
ready for the formal grad dinner dance on Sunday, I decided to also be a proud
Cancer fighter.
"No matter what you decide to do in life, always follow through
on your actions with confidence."
I’m not sure where this quote came from ...
but I do know that it had a presence in my mind while I decided how to do my
hair for grad. (Or how to not do my hair.)
I have just started maintenance a couple weeks ago, a phase
in which so far is my absolute favorite (seeings how it is the last.) and as my hair
has started to grow back, I’m hardly on any drugs, the timing for grad couldn't
have been better. Although I still have
a year and a half left on this path, I continue to breed optimism knowing that
I have graduated with the utmost support of everyone within the Southridge
community. I can’t imagine what my ‘grad year’ would have been like at any
other school and I know that graduation wouldn’t have been possible without the
amazing teachers that I have had the pleasure of connecting with on such a
personal and emotional level.
In spite of everything I’ve been through, leaving Southridge
may be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,
But as always, I will continue to breed optimism,
- Serena Bonneville (Southridge Alum)
