Abuelo Enrique's Daughter Monologue

Maria Moreno: What a creep, to leave his family for his mistress I’ve heard those stories too many times.

“Okay, Ruby, tonight I’ll be Miss Ta Rot. I’ll do it for laughs and giggles. Go get me the cards so I can practice and by the way, do I get to keep my tips?”

My maternal aunt gathered us together and we all sat on the couch. She turned to my mother and told us she had cancer. I looked at my aunt and I did not know what to say or how to respond. Three months later, my father received a phone call from his sister telling him that my pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with leukemia and had to give birth to her premature baby. She and I grew up in the same house in Arizona and what hurt me the most was not being able to be with her during this difficult time. When we went to visit her in Arizona, my dad told us before entering the hospital room that he did not want us to cry in front of her. I was scared to enter. I did not know what to say to her but I knew I had to be strong. We stayed there for the holiday season but we never celebrated the holidays, that was too

My father died when I was a baby, but Mom told me so many stories about him that I feel I knew him well. For example, one anecdote was about how he cried with joy when I was born.

My parents had been married for thirty-four years as the time of her death. During that time, they raised three children and were the proud grandparents of six grandkids. No one had to guess where you stood with my mom – they knew. She gave love and showed compassion to anyone who allowed. Growing up, all of our friends called her “Mama T” because she mothered so many and her last name was Tatum.

When my father was seven his father unfortunately passed away in an accident. My father was the last one who spoke to him and saw him. He was born into a family of four sisters, with him being the only boy in the house he quickly had to become the man of the house. He had to teach himself to be independent without the guidance from his father. My father made many great relationships and had the help from many friends when he was growing up.

We all have someone that we attached to at a young age. Whether it be a relative, family friend or role model. My person was my grandfather. He was one of the most kind hearted people you could ever meet; he was also one of the funniest. I can be having a terrible day and think about something he said or did and I can’t help but smile to myself. Pawpaw was my mother’s father and my grandmother’s husband. They were the “All-American” family. They lived in suburbia, Granny didn’t have to work and they lived life comfortably. My father wasn’t so fortunate in his youth. He had an extremely dysfunctional family and childhood. No one ever saw my mom and dads marriage working out but somehow they defied the odds and are still happily

My grandmother, who is the mother of my mom, passed away due to heart failure at the age of 87. Since I was 6 or 7 she had been living in our house. The reason for that was, my grandfather, that I was named after passed away a year before I was born, so she was alone, and she was starting to get old. Since she lived with us for so many years, she had been a very important figure in my life. I can honestly say that she was like a 3rd parent for me, and losing her, made me fell horrible and helpless. I witnessed how real death is because of her passing. Combined with puberty, my grief caused me to become depressed for a long time. As I’m looking back it sounds really extreme, but there were some days that I did not even leave the bed thinking that there was no point to our existence. Thanks to some psychological counselling however, I was able to overcome that mental

One weekend, we had decided to clean out the house to surprise my mother. My father found papers stashed away that revealed theft charges; my mother had stolen medication when she substituted for the nurse in my elementary school. I remember my dad scouring the house for more evidence, even finding a stash of pill bottles under their mattress. She had another court date coming up that he learned about, just a few weeks before a family trip to Disney. Shortly after that hearing, my family took our last vacation as a whole, knowing that a key member would be lost to us the Monday after our return; she was going into work-release for two months. Before the end of those sixty days, my father learned that my mother had been unfaithful. Their marriage ended, and at eleven and nine, my sister and I said what we didn't realize would be goodbye to our mother for a great while. Her drug abuse continued, and months of time would pass between visits. We saw that sweet, ideal mother devolve into an addict. This loss has shaped me greatly, and it has taught me integrity, strength of character, and great love for others; without these things, my mother cost herself her family and

When I was young, I lost someone who was very dear and close to me. My Uncle Anoosh was arrested before I knew him, when I found out who he was my world changed. I was so interested in his life and the troubles he had to face. I remember the first night he started to tell me stories

Watching my mother live from pay check to pay check when I was young was difficult. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with other parents but, she still somehow managed to get me everything I wanted, and more. Even though I was too young to understand, I could feel the stress, and the struggles my mom faced every day. She was only 20 years old when I was born and, because of that she had no choice but to grow up fast. At such a young age, I saw the effects of being a single parent, and the ways it changed my mom. She not only had to be a young mother but, she had to find a way to replace the void of a father, or a father figure in my life. My mom was strong, independent and courageous. Growing up watching her live her dreams under all the circumstances she faced, made me want to strive for a better life for myself. Seeing how hard is was to live and to have enough

I clearly remember the day I found out about my granddad's passing. I was at school. It was a normal, joyful day. My dad was planning on picking me up, but instead my friend's mom picked me up. He would not tell me why, but I did not think much of it. I remember the car ride to my house. My friend's mom would not tell me why she was driving me home; all she told me was, "Just know, Ryan, that we will be here for you no matter

Before I was born, my aunt lost something, something that the doctors had told her she could never overcome. She lost her thumb, due to cancer. The doctors told her multiple times that she would never be able to accomplish something like knitting ever again, although she proved them wrong. Now, she knits almost every day, and she even created my favorite sweater. Because of this, she has shown me how to persevere, to avoid the negative, and to be headstrong. It is her story that has started me on the path to becoming an oncologist. Furthermore, when I was only 15 years old, I thought that I might lose my mom. After months of experiencing discomfort in her abdominal region, feeling the constant need to use the bathroom, and had blood in her

childhood memories it had a rough start. My mother passed away from breast and colon cancer when I

I can still remember vividly the day my mother passed away. My mother passed away at a critical point in my life when I was seventeen years old from a short term illness. She was sick for a week and I remember thinking this could be serious, however, my mother declined to go to the hospital because of the distance and financial hardship. I had loss my father when I was three years old, so my mother was a single mother. I have step sisters and brother, but I was not particularly close to them. Losing my mother was a defining moment in my life for it changed my life irrevocably. I was devastated, but I had to become strong, proactive and it spurred me to choose a new career path.