A Tribute to my Aunt

Kind, supportive, strong, caring and loving: a few ways to describe my Aunt Mariam. Despite the generic words given to describe this wonderful woman, she was not cheesy or a typical "good person" in any way. She is more than this. She is someone special who stretches the idea of putting someone's needs before her own.

Cancer; the last word that would pop up into my mind where looking at the beautiful face, bubbling personality, and lively, peachy skin of my Aunt. Everything she represented is the opposite of how one would typically act when diagnosed with this horrible disease. Like a favorite sports jersey (in this case hers was all things Louisville), she wore a smile constantly as a proud represntation of who she was as a person, jubulient and positive.

Visiting Kentucky, I think back to the cheering of the crowd while watching The University of Kentucky face off against Louisville in basketball; I remember the proud look on her face as she watched her son get barmitzvaed; lastly, I remember me not remembering the fact that she even had cancer.

She was a spirit lifer and a fantastic woman: One who I look up to. She deliberately brushed off the sadness in her life to ensure that the smiles of her children, husband, friends and family were as bright and cheery as the life that she represented.