Bye for Now, Sweet Friend

Yesterday night one of my friends passed away leaving behind her two girls, her parents, siblings, her husband, her friends and all her students, who hoped against hope for her recovery. She suffered from lung cancer. 

We met in Hyderabad a decade ago. Unlike me, she was a very articulate person and made friends very quickly.  She worked as lecturer in a reputed college until she left Hyderabad a few years back. Next thing i heard was that she suffered from lung cancer - fourth stage. That was unbelievable. She had left Hyderabad as a healthy and robust person. 

Lung Cancer is a silent killer. Only three-fourth of the affected people show some symptoms like cough, coughing up blood or rust colored sputum, weight loss, hoarseness, wheezing, shortness of breath etc. These symptoms too appear in the advance stages. For my friend, she coughed up blood along with sputum. The diagnosis was fourth stage lung cancer. 

When i met her later, she didn't look like she had that fatal disease. As usual she was talking continuously - her dreams about her girls, her writing during her remission, her work as a counsellor in the hospital and about friends and students, her well wishers. She inspired her fellow patients to lead a quality life. Like a true teacher, she lifted them up from depths of depression. She lead by example.  She was an epitome of Hope.  A life well spent. Bye for now, sweet friend. 

The Soul or the Self cannot be killed..
It cannot be slain...
It cannot be drowned..
And it cannot be burned..
Just as a person changes his garments from day to day -
A person changes his body from incarnation to incarnation.
The Soul...that I AM is immortal.

- The Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 1