Toni

In one hand she held a glass of ice water. In the other hand about three different medications, waiting to be swallowed. That's my aunt’s daily routine. She needs those pills to be able to get up in the morning, to walk without pain. To be herself.

My aunt has Multiple Sclerosis. She has to fight everyday just to have a good day. Even if she is feeling bad, it never messes up her day. I think that makes her a very brave person. A few years back we were going to have Christmas at my aunt's house. I was so excited. When we got there it wasn’t long until we found out my aunt wasn’t feeling good. That wasn’t going to mess up her Christmas, though. We went into the living room where she could lay down on the couch. We all opened up our gifts. My aunt took her time opening up her presents even though I knew that was the last thing she wanted to do. My family stayed for about an hour, then we had to leave. My aunt was sick for the next week just because she had Christmas with us instead of resting, but she didn’t care. She would never give something up so important to her.

My aunt also has a lot of faith. Faith that someday there will be a cure for MS. That might not ever happen in her lifetime, but everyday she prays that there is someone who will find a cure. Her youngest son, Jordan, is very smart. He always had a 4.0 GPA and played sports. He could have gone to Harvard if he wanted to, but he went somewhere closer to home so he could help take care of his mom. When he was little he would always tell his mom he was going to be the person to find the cure for cancer. My aunt always believed in him, but when my aunt got MS, his mind changed a little bit. When my aunt was in the hospital for the first time with her horrible disease, my cousin walked into the room, sat on her hospital bed and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to be the person to cure MS." He is now on his way to medical school, hoping one day he will be able to make his and his mom’s dream come true.

My aunt is also very compassionate. She has always loved to do art. She can paint, sculpt, do anything creative with her hands. Now it is hard for her to express herself because she is sick all of the time. When my cousin came in from New York, she thought she was just coming to see her mom. My aunt had other plans. When my cousin got home, my aunt told her they we going to create something. My cousin had no clue what was happening, but she went along with it anyway. That day they made a tile mural on one of the walls in the dining room. It looked beautiful. My aunt couldn’t move the next couple of days, but she says it was worth it. She was doing what she loved to do and nothing could stop her.

My aunt is a very inspiring person. I couldn’t live without her. She has taught me so many things about life and about being a good person. Even though her disease is very tough on her, I think it was meant for her to have it because she is someone who will teach others to just live life, even though it may be tough sometimes.