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Thursday, February 20, 2020

"Effects of Alcoholism" by Leah M


     One of the most important things that someone can do for their family is just to spend time with them. Sometimes you don’t exactly get the opportunity and when something happens, you can really start to regret it. I come from a very big family with a total of, now, 10 aunt and uncles, and over 150 cousins just on my moms side. Having a big family is really amazing because you have a lot of people there for you and to spend time with when it comes to holidays. You learn how to forgive and forget, get along with each other, grow and learn, and be grateful for what you have been given. But when you have a big family and everyone starts to get older, you become more aware of the idea of death. Growing up, me and my uncle were very close. He lived nearby so we visited almost every chance we could. The fact that he and his wife could never have children after 30 years of marriage made him treat me as if I was his own daughter. In spanish, we call our aunts and uncles tia’s and tio’s, but in this case he was my nino. A nino is an uncle who becomes a godparent after birth that looks after you if anything should happen. I received nothing but love from my nina and nino and gave them the same in return. Unfortunately, my uncle had a very bad drinking problem that was very hard to overcome. He ended up in the hospital many times due to liver failure but recovered each time. The last time he was in the recovery room, they told him that if he drank again he could possibly die. In late 2017, he and my aunt came into a situation where they were able to adopt a newborn son. This new life motivated my uncle to want to do better and stop drinking once and for all for he now had another reason to live. One day, after many months passed from the last time he was in the hospital, he thought his body could handle just one glass of wine. He was wrong. He fell on the ground and was immediately admitted to the emergency room. When we all found out, we were devastated because we knew this may be the last time we could see him. He was in the hospital for about a month. I really wanted to go and see him but because of my age and my relation to him, they didn’t let me up to the room. I stayed in the waiting room while my aunt visited and let him know about the situation. We were both very upset but I guess it was better for me that I didn’t have to see him in that condition. My mother was in the room helping him get cleaned up, telling him about what’s going on with the family, the baby, etc. I stayed in the waiting room for a few hours but I didn’t mind. About a week later, it was Easter and it was the first time he wasn’t there with us. It hurt my heart so much to know that he couldn’t make it and spent that last holiday in the hospital. The day after Easter, my mom woke me up at 3 in the morning to let me know he had passed away in his sleep. It hit me like a truck. I stopped breathing and was left in disbelief. I cried my heart out and I cried and cried for hours until it was 7 in the morning and I had cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, it felt like a dream. It felt like it wasn’t real and that it didn’t really happen. I’d never seen my mother cry before. Her little brother just passed away and she couldn't take it. I prayed that everything would be okay in my family and that my uncle was somewhere better than this cruel world. My brother was furious. He was crying and mad at the fact that my uncle knew of the consequences that would come if he drank, and he still did it anyways and look where it ended up taking him. We attended his funeral a few days later and I had to physically have someone help me get in and out of the car because I just couldn’t take it. It was an open casket and I had a breakdown when I saw him. He looked so peaceful and I knew nothing in the world could ever hurt him again. They released white doves at the burial site which are signs of peace, love, hope, and the Holy Spirit. However, one dove in particular stayed. My aunt lifted her hands and they all flew away except one. This was almost like a sign
letting us know he was okay. The dove was there to let us know that he was safe and that he’s found peace. When we returned home, I didn’t go to school for an entire week. It was such a hard grieving process that even to this day, I still shed a vast amount of tears whenever I think of it. I miss my uncle with all my heart but I’ve learned two lessons from this experience. Value your time with your family because you never know what will happen, and be responsible with what you put into your bodies that may be dangerous especially if you know you have someone who cares about you. So my message to everyone would be to please spend time with your close family so you can never say that you regret not doing so.

25 comments:

  1. Firstly, I am so sorry for your loss! From your descriptions in your blogpost, I could only imagine how it felt to lose someone THAT close to you! :( But, regarding your blog, you did a terrific job on describing your emotions and your family interaction that I thought was really cool. I also really liked the fact that you not only mentioned your huge family, but also what you learned from having such a big family, especially with learning “how to forgive and forget, get along with each other, grow and learn, and be grateful for what you have been given.” I think this is a lesson that so many people today can learn because everyday is so stressful, and there just isn’t enough time to take to appreciate and be grateful for what we have. Thank you for that, and SUPERB JOB!

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  2. I can slightly relate to this piece I also have a big family and It seems to be a stereotype that in every hispanic family you have that one alcoholic uncle but sadly its true. I have multiple uncles in the same situation, they just don’t understand the consequences of alcoholism and its truly sad. I'm so sorry for your lose I cant image how it feels to lose someone so close to you.

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  3. Leah, thank you for sharing such an emotional moment in your life. I too come from a big family and can relate to the joy big holiday gatherings bring. I loved that you were able to take such a dark time and make something positive from the situation. It’s important to spend time with our family while they’re still here with us. Great job!

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  4. Great use of diction to convey the heartbreak and sadness when retelling this tragic event in your life. It was very well written with many details and emotions that are very relatable to the readers. Amazing writing and thank you for sharing a personal part of your life.

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  5. Family is extremely important and this is coming from someone who has 12 siblings and countless of cousins, nieces, and nephews. Although i'm not close with some of my family, I deeply value the time spent with family that I am close with because that could be the only time I get. Thank you so much for sharing your story I know it took a lot to be open and share your experience.

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  6. I envy the courage you have to write about an emotional experience that is very close and private to you. I am sorry that you had to go through a devastating time in your life but you were so strong in the story and in the aftermath.

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  7. This is such a deep and true story. You did really well describing it and I am sorry for what happen. Things will get better I say it from experience and yea all thou your topic was hard is sadly a reality. Anyone can lose a love one anytime so we should appreciate the time and memory's we have with them.

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  8. I am so sorry for your lost. I have a relatively smaller family and for me, a loss hurts more than anything in the world. Especially when it was my uncle George who I had just met and formed a good relationship with. Your piece was very relate able to me and I thank you for being courageous enough to share this part in your life.

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  9. Being able to be vulnerable about your own life and sharing to spread awareness about the effects alcoholism on those around its victims is more than courageous in itself. I see this as more than just a reflection on a past tragedy but also a somewhat of an educational piece that dives into the emotional burdens alcohol has on people, especially considering how relevant this issue is in our society and even in the youth. I am sorry for you loss.

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  10. I've always feared losing my closest family members and I can relate to your situation. The feeling of complete loss and emptiness hits but passes slowly with time and family who treasure you. We can only do so much to keep our family close to us and keep them safe and healthy. Thank you for your experience because this is something someone goes through at some point of their lives.

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  11. I respect you for being able to write about something so emotional and personal, many others have similar situations as you and its great to have someone like you let others know they aren't the only ones with those trials in life.

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  12. Leah, thank you for being brave enough to share this personal and truly emotional part of your life. I too have family members that struggle with substance abuse and it is hard watching them fall back into their dark ways. I am so sorry for your loss and I cannot imagine the pain you must have felt from losing someone so close to you. I hope you and your family are healing well. <3

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  13. I think most people reading this can relate to an experience like this, whether it be substance abuse or death. It is very comforting knowing that you are not the only one who has felt this before. I thank you for being vulnerable enough to tell your story. Very moving and touching.

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  14. Beautiful piece. The emotions conveyed in this piece of writing are so touching and simultaneously heartbreaking and I'm so sorry you had to go through this devastating event. I hope you and your family have been able to heal and I send you much love. - Kristin Harris

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  15. I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for being strong and sharing this with us. Family is everything to me, and to lose someone close to you is always hard. You really captured what loss and the emotions that go with it are like.

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  16. Wow! What an incredibly important message. I could feel your pain with every word you wrote. I pray that God will give you strength, and peace above all understanding.

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  17. Such a great piece of writing Leah! Your own person accounts of family along with your story telling from a perspective not many people experience makes your writing very eye opening. I personally have a nino and your writing made me ponder what it would be like if he was to go through such events. Overall, great piece of writing. -Nathaniel Alvarado

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  18. First things first sorry for your loss, I know how hard it is to lose someone that close to you as it happened to me about 2 years ago. Through your writing I can almost feel the emotions you had, through you not being able to be in the room with him, all the way to that dove staying letting you know that he's ok. -Mj Ibarra

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  19. Hearing your point if view was deeply interesting to me, I’ve never had to experience anything near to what you wrote in the story. Although I don’t know you, your insight let me feel some of your pain from loss and it brings me comfort that you are able to be so through with your emotions. - Hannah Colunga

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  20. Your story is beautifully written. The way your described the sudden changes in emotion had a huge impact. I could feel the mood of the situation. Im sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing your story.

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  21. This story was so heartbreaking Leah, I sincerely apologize for your loss. Your message was beautiful and moving, and I am sure that I will heed to it. I, too, am painfully aware of the effects of excessive drinking, and I am sorry you had to go through that experience. Thank you for writing the piece, it was engaging!
    - Eddie Yanez

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  22. Your story moved me to tears, it felt like I could feel your pain through your words. I’m so sorry for what you had to endure, but I hope you take comfort in knowing that he’s taking care of you and your family.

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  23. Your story was very touching. I like how even though you have a great amount of relatives, you had that one special connection with him. It takes a lot of courage to be able to open up about something that affected you so much. Finally, I love how you utilized your experience to spread such an important message!

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  24. It's hard to let someone who has been part of such a significant part of life go especially someone who you were very close with. I can't even put anything I want into words because this your story made me very emotional. I'm really sorry that things had to end like that. Thank you for sharing this experience with us.

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  25. I admire how courageous you are to share this tragic story with us. You were able to slow down time very effectively and really walk the reader through your experience. Like Nathaniel’s story, yours teaches the important lesson to spend all the time with your loved ones while you can because you really never know what can happen.

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