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Life Changing Experience In Life

Decent Essays

For many, a life changing moment comes in the form of a tragedy or a hard-earned revelation. Mine came in the form of a five-year-old girl named Sofia. Sofia spent most of her time in the oncology ward of the hospital where I volunteered. Her days consisted of sterile hospital rooms, scans, and chemotherapy. She was losing her hair because of chemo when most girls her age were learning how to braid theirs. She played with a doll (Mr. Buttons) in her hospital room instead of playing with other children. Sofia wasn’t lonely in the traditional sense. Family, friends, and even strangers visited the little girl, but could barely interact with her. Most of the time, she was too tired to play and, when she finally mustered the energy, she found herself behind a glass panel. The doctors thought it best to keep Sofia isolated, to minimize her chances of falling ill in her already feeble condition. And, indeed, this is how I interacted with Sofia for a month. Week after week, hour after hour, I’d go to the glass wall to see if she had awoken and would spend an hour that felt like seconds, playing with her. I suppose that’s relativity for you. Sofia was both the highlight and heartbreak of my week. Comments like, “Poor thing” and “It’s just not fair” were heard as often as the incessant beeping of the monitors. Talk is cheap, and pity doesn’t make progress. I had to do something. It is very rare to come across an opportunity to make a fundamental change in the lives of thousands. I

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