The Newspaper

The news hit me as if it were hot off the press. It was November 1st and I was serving

an in-school​ suspension​ for almost getting in a fight with another student [over a petty reason].

Around late morning -early midday when my mother came to the school abruptly. She was

dismissing me early. I thought she would be mad that I was in trouble, but in hindsight; I would

understand why she wasn’t.

When we arrived home, after a quick stop, I was immediately pulled into the living room.

My mom handed me a folded piece of newspaper, I nervously read ​Obituary ​across the top and

the room became awkwardly silent. Finally, my mom said, “Mahogany your father passed.

Grandma was reading the newspaper and saw his picture … I’m sorry baby… His funeral is

tomorrow”. The words skated across her tongue in an uneasy manner. I was in utter shock. It was

the most heart-wrenching moment of my life.

Growing up, I never had the chance to develop a strong relationship with my dad and it

seemed I would not get that father-daughter relationship. I was angry that I was now a

stereotype: a black kid without a father. My hurt stemmed for the countless times he had and

forever will miss out on my life. An underlying hatred begun to a form when I quickly learned

that preparations were already underway for his funeral. Neither myself nor my mom had been

notified directly of this sorrow filled event and now I was left with the dreadful task of saying

goodbye.

Weeks went by and I still had many questions about his death. My father had Aspect

Meningitis Syndrome and I wanted to know what, why, and how it leads to death. ​I began my

own research and came across disturbing data. Aspect Meningitis Syndrome is ​a rare disease that
is spread by the blood to the central nervous system where it essentially causes inflammation of

the meninges membranes that outline the brain and spinal cord. Meaning, this type of meningitis

is much more difficult to treat and the treatment is poor.

As a result of doing research on my father's death, I became fascinated with how the

human body works, especially systems essential to the body function and the steps humans need

to take to maintain a healthy life. I began looking at careers in the healthcare field that could

potentially save a life. The thought of working in a team to bring an early diagnosis to families

so they wouldn't have to hurt as I did. Even though I hadn’t been there to help save my father, I

began clinging to the idea that I could help save someone else's loved one.

Looking back, I honestly thank my grandmother for reading the paper that day because

without it I would have been ignorant to my father's situation. More importantly, I wouldn't have

found an interest in the health career field. His death gave me the hope that I could be something

good in life. Although he passed away, maybe my schooling and subsequent career in health care

will be my forever connection to him.