Justina was a healthy child up until this point. She was just five years old, and scared of what was happening to her. Her headaches came on suddenly and kept getting stronger with each passing day. She kept complaining of pain in her head region but had no other symptoms. Irena called me crying hysterically letting me know her little girl was having tests run to determine the cause of her headaches. The results were devastating, the doctors diagnosed Justina with a brain tumor. As if that wasn't bad enough, they said she had only a 5% chance of survival  and the tumor was rather large and inoperable.

Irena was devastated as she faced losing her only child. I decided on the spot to book a flight to Poland the very next day. I told my husband and kids what was happening and let them know I'd be leaving for a while. Thankfully, I was unemployed at the time and my kids were older, so nothing stood in the way of my going to support my sister in this difficult time. When I arrived Justina was in and out of consciousness but she was aware of my being there. She was happy to see me and it was hard not to break down in her presence. Looking at her laying in that hospital bed broke my heart. I couldn't believe she was not going to make it.

How does an innocent child get a death sentence when there's criminals getting away with murder everyday. Life is so unfair sometimes. Irena decided to tell her daughter the awful news following the doctors advice.  At first Justina cried because she didn't want to leave her mommy. But in time she made her piece with it and told her mom and me that everything would be okay. She said she would go play with the angels in heaven until she could be with her mom again.

Justina passed away in her sleep a few days later.  My heart broke in a thousand pieces watching my sister grieve for her child. No parent should ever have to go through what my sister had to endure. Why did God take her away from us so soon? She was the joy of her mothers' life.The thing she lived for, and now she was gone forever, in an instant. Irena was inconsolable, she was put on anti depressants and sleeping pills. She stopped functioning and did not want to go on without Justina.

Arrangements were made, but in the end my sister did not attend her daughter's funeral. It was too hard for her. Over time Irena started functioning again and went back to work. It has been over ten years since Justina passed away and my sister still visits her daughter's grave everyday rain or shine. She never remarried or had other children. She continues to live with our mother, whom I believe is the only reason why she has not attempted to commit suicide.   

Watching my sister go through this difficult situation has made me appreciate my kids even more.  Life is precious and it's important to tell the people in our lives how much we love them everyday. No one knows how long we have so my advice is to live everyday as if it's your last.