How has a family member or family experience been influential in your life? – Scholarship Essay

How has a family member or family experience been influential in your life? – Scholarship Essay
A little over a year ago, my family and I were faced with an extremely painful and difficult situation. My grandfather, who was in relatively good health, had been taken to the hospital because of breathing problems

related to asthma. However, within the course of two weeks, he was in a coma. The breathing difficulties, which were not originally serious, had worsened, and during his stay in the hospital, he contracted a staphylococcus infection. Unfortunately, by this point he was too weak to fight it. Something that had begun as a slight concern had suddenly turned into a matter of life or death. My family was told that it would be a matter of a few days.

It was like a terrible nightmare to me, completely surreal. When my grandfather had first fallen ill, he and my grandmother were still in their house in Florida where they lived during the winter. Throughout the three weeks that this occurred, I was never able to see him because of the distance between us. This was the first time I would have to experience the death of someone close to me. It was especially painful because everything happened so suddenly and unexpectedly. Before anyone knew what was happening, my loving grandfather was lying in his hospital bed with only a few days left to live.

At first, I was not able to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. I was convinced that my grandfather was going to get better and everything would be back to normal. However, when I realized that things were not as ideal as I wanted them to be, I begged my parents to let me go to Florida to have a chance to say goodbye. My parents decided that I would be better off not seeing my grandpa in his condition, but to this day, I am resentful that they did not let me go.

I have had a tremendously hard time accepting his death because he went from healthy to deceased in a matter of weeks. When my other grandfather passed away a few months ago, I felt that I was able to deal better with his death because he lived closer. This allowed me to digest that his condition was serious just by looking at him. Most importantly, I was able to tell him goodbye and that I loved him.

The fact that I did not get a chance to say goodbye has affected me profoundly, and since my grandfather’s death, I realized that I have taken too many things for granted. Losing my grandfather so suddenly has taught me to appreciate everything that I have much more. In the past year, I have become much closer in my personal and family relationships because I realize that the people I care most about will not be around forever. I now take advantage of every moment and everything that I have and have been given because I am determined not to have regrets later in my life.