Amore Per Sempre

Going into the year 2016, I had a vivid image and big plans for what I wanted the upcoming year to entail. I would be graduating college, moving out of this college town, traveling to places I've never been before, applying for "big girl" jobs and grabbing hold of any new experience that came my way.

This is going to be the year of change for me. I found myself thinking this over and over.

I was being selfish in my thoughts and my mistake was thinking that no significant change would occur until the day I graduated from college. I never expected myself to experience as much growth in an entire year as I have experienced within the last week.

Four days ago, I received a phone call from my mother telling me that my beautiful, kind, and strong cousin Sara had overdosed on heroin. Drugs have been in and out of Sara's life for years, but just knowing her and her strength I never thought it was something that could knock her down. I didn't realize how much she was struggling; I always believed she was going to find her way.

It was a reality check, really. It opened my eyes to the fact that even the people in my life who I put up on the highest pedestal could be fighting demons that I have absolutely no idea about.

Currently, Sara remains on life support and is fighting for her life. The doctors have tried many different tests in order to regain her brain activity but nothing has worked yet. The chances of her opening her eyes and coming back to us are extremely low; it would be a miracle but I won't stop believing.

Sara has a tattoo on her shoulder that says "amore per sempre" which means "forever love" in Italian. This is a constant reminder to me of what a loving soul she has always been to me and everyone surrounding her. I want to be more like her in this way, and I now find myself changing my image of what I want 2016 to look like for myself.

My goal is for all of my friends, family and loved ones to know and never question how much I love and support them. If I know someone in my life is struggling I'll never let them believe that they are alone.

Most people don't have the confidence in themselves to face battles like these alone, nor the strength to reach out for help when needed. The simple act of reaching out to someone to tell them you love them and you're there for them can be all the encouragement in the world.

I'm praying every day for my cousin to come back to us but no matter the outcome, I can truly say Sara has impacted my life for the better. I will only remember her as the loving, witty, exuberant person she has always been and will admire her strength forever.