To the mother sitting on the grassy hill...

As I was on my usual walk back through the Duke Gardens, to my apartment on Central Campus, I saw your kids rolling down the grassy hill.  You sat there peacefully watching them as they giggled and shrieked, tumbling down, and down again.  However, what made me smile, and made me want to write this post, is the fact that your little girl rolling down the hill was bald.   I wanted so much to stop and say hi because your little girl’s baldness was so familiar to me and instantly told me she was fighting something big.  Because of that fight, so much of her childhood has likely already been filled with experiences no child should have.  As much as I wanted to let you know I understand, as much as I wanted to find understanding in you, I could not bring myself to break you out of that beautiful moment.  By peacefully sitting on that hill in the North Carolina sunshine, you gave your daughter a chance to laugh, to have fun, to enjoy time with her sibling, and to be “normal” for a little while.

You also provided me with a glimpse into my past life - a motivational reminder that I have so many reasons to laugh and enjoy the sunshine, as your little girl was.  You reminded me of my amazing mother’s effort to give me opportunities to laugh, to have fun, and to be “normal” too.

Whoever you may be, I wish you and your daughter all the best.  I hope you can enjoy the sunshine and each other’s laughter for years and years to come.  I also hope that one day your little girl can walk by that grassy hill, as a 21-year-old thriving survivor, like I was able to do.