My daughter Alexandra had a rare form of cancer as an infant. After almost two years of surgeries and chemotherapy at St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia, she managed to pull through. Although her eyesight and hearing were damaged by the treatments, there isn't a day that goes by that her mother and I don't thank the good Lord above that she recovered. I can tell you the fear of losing a child will grip you like no other. The thought of losing two children is beyond imaginable.
I had planned to write a blog story about Timmy Passerella, a grandson of my long time friend Jack Passerella of Atco, NJ.....but when I read Alex's blog I knew she had a much better perspective than I ever could. So I copied her blog entry and decided to share it with you here.
If you'd like to read more of Alex's posts....her address is http://www.alexdstory.blogspot.com
Here is what she shared with her readers:
I attended a funeral this morning, my sixth funeral in less then a year and I wanted to take the time to talk about someone that my family was very blessed to know, Timmy Passerella....because you all deserve to know how truly special he was.
For as long as I've been alive, I have referred to Jack and Bea (Timmy's grandparents) as Pop Pop Jack and Aunt Bea. We are not related by blood but very much by heart. Pop Pop Jack and Aunt Bea used to hold a traditional pool party/ barbeque every summer. All of Jack and Bea's family gathered there along with the Dunek's. There were so many kids. I remember being a little girl and looking forward to go to Pop Pop's house and drive the mini pink toddler Barbie convertible he used to have in his garage, play ping pong, volleyball with the boys and swim until the sun went down. We used to have water balloon fights and constantly got yelled at for bothering the neighbors.
Pop Pop always kept us busy, because he had so many toys. It was the one day when we got to see and hang out with the people that we had such a special connection with. It was always the best day of the summer. One particular summer, my family and I went to the annual barbeque and I noticed someone sitting down on one of the lawn chairs with a cain. I asked my mom who it was and she said, "that's Timmy!". I barely recognized him. I had already known this at the time, but Timmy was diagnosed that year with cancer. I couldn't believe how different he looked, but he was still the same old Timmy, who made all of us laugh and even joined us for a volleyball game. That day was the last time I remember seeing him. Unfortunately, my sisters and all of Jack and Bea's grandchildren quickly began growing up, and the barbeques faded away in time.
Timmy Clark Passarella passed away on January 19, 2010 to lung cancer. He was 24 years old and a student at Stockton college. He was the second grandchild of Jack and Bea to have lost his battle with cancer. Timmy fought cancer off and on for four years and I'm sad to say I never got to see him before he passed. Even though he is gone, heaven really has gained someone special. There was no one else quite like Timmy Passarella ...therefore he will never be replaced and his spirit will live amongst all of his friends and family forever.
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